Food in art is the 11th exhibition in MOCAK’s flagship series Civilisation in art, in which we confront important areas of life with the reflections of artists. We have previously looked at themes such as history, sport, economics, crime, gender, medicine, motherland, art, nature and politics. Food in this context has an exceptional position, since it is crucial to existence itself, which lends it significance in many areas of our lives.

Food is indispensable for satisfying one of the physiological needs at the very base of Maslow’s pyramid of the hierarchy of human needs – yet, in parallel – also a number of other of the higher order ones, psychological and social, such as a sense of social belonging or security. Vital for survival, food has shaped our civilisation. It has served as payment for labour; the process of its acquisition has powered the engine of progress. It was the search of food that triggered the migrations of peoples and thus led to the discovery of the world. Food scarcity has given rise to conflicts and contributed to social upheaval and bloodshed. To this day, food accompanies rituals and ceremonies and is the foundation of every community, culture and religion.

The exhibition will present the work of 66 artists from many different countries, exploring a variety of media such as painting, photography, video, object and installation. Taking part in a meal is a social activity, lays a basis for our identity and can serve as a tool of resistance. Contemporary artists take on board both the problems resulting from scarcity, as well as those from an excess, of food. The former can result in hunger and starvation, causing social inequality and individual indignity, and leading to humanitarian crises and large-scale devastation; the latter manifest themselves in rampant or indeed debauched consumerism, accompanied by waste and the detrimental health effects of pursuing a poor-quality diet. Artists will analyse both the aesthetic potential of food, which art has explored for centuries as well as its ethical and philosophical dimensions.

The purchase of some of the works was co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

(Curators: Maria Anna Potocka, Martyna Sobczyk)