91 x 117cm
“Almost any sorrow is bearable if you have bread”
Cervandes, the Spanish novelist and author of Don Quixote, left this word. Whether or not you can say that bread and rice are so much of a panacea, the diet is certainly Needless to say, it would be indispensable to humans.
If we miss a meal, we will be irritated, and if we don’t eat or drink for a week, we will die.
On the other hand, the act of “eating” has also played an important role in human society.
For example, Sparta, regarded as the strongest military state in ancient Greece, emphasized “eating together”.
They believed that sharing a meal with others would strengthen their unity.
The Food also has “rules”.
It’s not limited to personal preference (e.g., “no carbs at night”), for example, Islam forbids pork, or Hinduism forbids eating beef, or some factions of Buddhism only allow morning meals, and some religions impose strict rules on eating.
So, how do we formulate the phenomenon of eating, which is both important and indispensable for human beings?
As an example, let’s look at a painting.
There are roughly three types of paintings: figurative, abstract, and in between.
Aira’s works fall into the last category. In this work, which has a pop-art sense of color, she chooses a grape as its motif, but the purpose is not in the reproduction of the grape. The fruit is no longer a free form from its original form, it has become an idol
47 x 54cm
How about in terms of “tasty works of art”?
Kenta Nakajima’s paintings of sushi employ the techniques of realism to erotically stimulate the appetite.
The 18th century writer Lessing said in Laocoon that “painting should capture the right moment”.
we should say that Nakajima’s sushi captures the most delicious moment that the chef grabs a piece of sushi and presents it to the customer.
18.5 x 18.5cm
The form of the meal, bento, is also interesting.
In Japan and Taiwan, when it is difficult to get food on the road, people use a portable meal called a bento (boxed meal).
Let’s interpret this as “someone made a bento for someone else”. Then you’ll see the story.
The morning after a fight, you might find only rice packed in a box. And if you don’t offend your partner, you might come across a bento like this one! In a sense, the bento is a silent, food-mediated communication.
35.5 x 45.5cm
What does it mean to “eat” in the first place?
Aside from extreme minimalists and animals, for humans, “eating” and “nutrition” are not the same thing.
We eat what we want, when we want, where we want, how we want, and with whom we want, and this is an inherent human pleasure. This may be an inherent human pleasure and enjoyment.
37 x 27cm
In a sense, the act of eating, which reflects extreme personal taste and commitment, is a way of expressing one’s personality.
Buying art is also buying an artist’s talent and ideas.
On top of that, buying a piece of art that depicts a meal may be a peek into the artist’s life.
