From Giuseppe Arcimboldo to Stéphane Bureaux, earthly nourishments inspire and engage artists. Culinary design emerged as soon as the primary need to eat met with culture, and the idea arose that the way of presenting food could contribute to its success.
With its highly aesthetic formal approach, the exhibition “Yum! You’re going to taste…” aims to give an overview of this artistic wave originating from markets and our fridges.
Playing with food is allowed! Who hasn’t bitten off the ear of a Petit Beurre, shaped balls with the rind of a Babybel, made necklaces out of macaroni, or drawn a smile with ketchup?
In the 60s, Daniel Spoerri was the first to introduce food into art. Today, the world of Food Art brings together creators with diverse visions, for whom glorified food nourishes the subconscious and the imagination.
This theme is meant to be as playful and delicious as a picnic on the grass in summer. Yum! You’re going to taste…
The menu in detail
The appetizer of this exhibition has a strong taste of Pop Art with Eva Medin’s noodles, Bernard Pesce’s sexualized orange, and the kitsch ceramics of the 60s Vallauris. Playing with food is usually not done, yet Christel Jeanne invents animals from his imagination upon returning from the market, and Clémence Joly knits the layout of a butcher’s shop.
The culinary design of Les Bouchées Doubles or Foodanimés occupies a kitchen set up for the occasion. Jean-Luc Fau, a Michelin-starred chef, paints his recipes while Sarah Illenberger sculpts beets into precious rubies.
The Art of the Table sets the scene with the precious porcelain plates by Bernardaud, the bowls made of compressed coffee grounds by Raúl Laurí, and the jewelry made from bent forks by Passé Décomposé…
The dinner is as varied as our eating habits, from the Junk Food of Fat and Furious Burger to the Michelin-starred cuisine of Guillaume Barclay, passing through the classic pork butchery of Nicolas Wilmouth and ending with the tangy candies of Stéphane Gautier. The table discussion is lively with the “BIO vs. GMO” by José Man Lius.
The sweet bites
The public is invited to actively participate in playful and artistic installations.
Family Meal
Find photos of family meals in your albums. We all have them! Christmas, birthday, baptism, wedding… in black & white, yellowed, or blurry, they are packed with emotion and memories.
It’s ME who made it! : Photograph your most beautiful culinary creation. Your favorite dish, the surprise birthday cake, the toddler’s dessert… Play with your creativity.
My comfort food: And you, what do you eat to feel better?
Write down your go-to food: Mont-Blanc cream, sausage, hazelnut chocolate, camembert, deviled eggs, tarte tropézienne…
Who eats what? : The new quiz invites the public to guess “who eats what?”. Popeye eats spinach, Obélix, wild boar… Many gourmet and artistic prizes will be up for grabs in a draw at the end of the exhibition.
The personality of the chef in the kitchen
Valérie Arboireau, in charge of the exhibition’s curating and scenography, enjoys staging stories and talents, creating bridges between art, decoration, and design. Well-established locally in the contemporary art and communication scene for a decade, she has a knack for discovering works, artists who together create emulation, emotion, a reaction: “Everyone is creative in their way, everyone has their story, and my role is to invent a common story.”
Her choice extends to both local artists and those from elsewhere, even far away… Talent knows no borders!
What she likes to create is the moment when the public pauses, forgets the rational, and appeals to their emotional intelligence. Aware of divergent opinions on contemporary art, she is also convinced that prioritizing talent, humanity, and generosity is a necessity: “Like all artists, we always have a little piece of ourselves in what we do. The more sincere we are, the more we reveal ourselves, the more honest we are, the more the public feels engaged.”
The exhibitions aim to be open to all, amateurs and newcomers, young and old, with an original approach where classic hanging mixes with interactive installations. They unfold like the thread of an invented story.
The invited artists
This exhibition offers a new confrontation of perspectives on Food Art and Culinary Design.
AK-LH – designer (Paris)
Hana Aouak – culinary designer (Paris)
Guillaume Barclay – photographer (Cap d’Ail)
Luli Barzman – photographer (Paris)
Les Bouchées Doubles – culinary designer (Paris)
Cécile Colombo – painter (Gémenos)
Andy Ellison – medical imaging specialist (Boston)
Fat & furious burger – graphic designers (Paris)
Jean-Luc Fau – Michelin-starred chef and painter (Rodez)
Stéphane Gautier – visual artist (Paris)
Philippe Hurst – graphic designer (Nice)
Sarah Illenberger – photographer (Berlin)
Christel Jeanne – photographer (Paris)
Clémence Joly – visual artist (Paris)
Raúl Lauré for Decafé – designer (Alicante)
José Man Lius – visual artist (Paris)
Eva Medin – visual artist (Nice)
Rick Mereki – director (Melbourne)
Prune Nourry and Jr for Bernardaud – porcelain maker (Limoges)
Passé décomposé – jewelry creator (Nice)
Bernard Pesce – photographer (Marseille)
Seletti – designer (Parma)
Elise Toublanc – painter (Montreuil)
Nicolas Wilmouth – photographer (Bagneux)
To invigorate this event, various activities are planned alongside the exhibition: afterwork sessions (6-8 pm) during the week in the form of workshops, conferences, meetings with artists and external contributors. A selection of works related to the theme is highlighted in the bookstore, with scheduled author signings.
