Artworks Trenton will be exhibiting “The Shared Meal” from April 30th to June 1st.
“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.” – Michael Pollan
Grilled Cheese – Courtney Young
Food is one of the essential elements to our existence as human beings. We need to consume food to maintain life. But food plays a much bigger role in our lives as humans; it brings us together, it divides us, it nourishes us, it destroys us…
Contemporary culture has elevated food to a new level of importance – we celebrate celebrity chefs; we snap photos of our meals to share on social media; we follow strict diets that place judgement on those who aren’t vegetarian, paleo, keto, raw, vegan; we argue over how perfect our groceries are – how many items contain the words organic, non-gmo, free-range, grass-fed, local, artisanal… Meanwhile, more than seven percent of Americans live in a food desert; for many, their neighborhood has no grocery stores, there are only corner stores with limited products; there are no farmers markets and there is no space for gardens; the dollar menu is the only option because spending the money to buy ingredients to make a healthy meal isn’t possible. And still others struggle with food in completely different ways – under eating, over eating, the ideas of “earning” food and “deserving” food.
We invite you to explore your relationship with food through art created from 8 very different vantage points. This show explores the explicit connection artists feel to food. Food has been a source of artistic inspiration throughout history, but at this point in time, food has become a heavy presence in our culture and our individual cultural identity.
The exhibit will feature primarily 2D work in a variety of media. The collection of artists was carefully selected to represent a diverse outlook on the singular topic of food. The selected works and artists can be compared to a fantastic dish that hits every flavor note – from sweet to salty, sour to bitter and umami – your eyes and ears will explore food from all angles and we aim to leave you feeling satiated.
To find out more about this exhibition, please visit the artist/curator – Lora Durr’s website.
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Artworks Trenton is located at 19 Everett Alley.
Gallery Hours (during exhibits)- Tues -Wed 11-6, Thurs- Fri 11-8, Sat 11-6
For more information visit http://artworkstrenton.org/.
