Article | Ewurama Welbeck (Assistant Editor, The Neoteric) Published [2nd September 2026 / 3:00pm GMT]
The subject of Art as Food has gained popular opinions from creatives, critics and
scholars worldwide. There are several articles and documentaries that have covered comprehensively what Art as Food is.
Well, food art consists of broad and varied range of activities, theories, techniques and practices that use what we eat to tell stories, enable artistic discoveries and explore pertinent everyday experiences. Food is a core substance of human survival. Humans have relied on it since the beginning of creation. Genesis 1:29 —So God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you. The Genesis narrative presents food as an integral material for human existence . Food has physical, spiritual and biological value in human life. Food is not only an edible matter but it also a medium through which symbolic and cultural ties are expressed. Food brings people together. It connects shared experiences and tells the history of a group of people . Food is both a
material for development and a tool for creating culinary discoveries. Food gives life, it heals, nourishes the human body and also builds a society over a common taste and cultural practices.
The idea of Food as Art or Art as Food can be broken down into simple concepts and examined from intriguing perspectives.
Food has always played a role in art: Stone Age cave painters used vegetable juice and animal fats as binding ingredients in their paints, and the Egyptians carved pictographs of crops and bread on hieroglyphic tablets. (Smithsonian Magazine)
Early Egyptian paintings on caves and tombs reveal the agricultural world of the ancient Egyptians; such as planting, harvesting and food preparation. This art reliefs highlight the importance of food in sustaining the society and ultimately shaping human civilization.
Even paintings of the last supper depict how Jesus and his disciples shared a meal that symbolized their unity, fellowship and faith before the events leading to his betrayal.
The painting below depicts a family scene over their dining table. Food is used here to highlight togetherness, abundance and wealth. The family laugh and converse with each other happily. Food becomes the main hero in this artwork. Viewers get to see a familial bond and also mouth watering dish the family are yet to feast on.
The use of food as a subject in art, rather than humans, animals, objects and lived experiences is quite an interesting artistic expression . It is worthy to note that there are traditional and contemporary artists that focus on food as their subject matter to explore colour, texture, gradient and lightning. They paint food with a hidden message for viewers to decipher or deliberate on. Others also use food as their subject to comment on issues such as consumption, decay and abundance and waste.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a 16th century Renaissance Italian artist also used food items such as fish, fruits and vegetables to represent human faces and figures on his canvas. Arcimboldo’s paintings of fruits and vegetables as human head were often perceived as humorous. However, those paintings carried cultural and symbolic values. His paintings explored themes such as power, bountifulness, culture and wealth within the renaissance period. The painting’s fruits, vegetables, and flowers symbolize the richness of nature and the power of metamorphosis. (Tamythethaiger,2025)
Paul Cezanne, a French impressionist during the 19th and 20th century focused intensely on food as his subject matter in his paintings. He did that to explore nature, depths and geometry. Most of his paintings are still life. He painted apples, pears, oranges and plums.
His works are both traditional and modern. Cézanne’s fruit became abstract with time. Later they were just splotch of color enclosed by a line. Like here, they don’t have any purpose except being decorative objects. ( Zuzanna Stanska, 2026)
20th century American artist, Wayne Thiebaud focused on food as his subject in his works to explore issues of togetherness, social bonding , life celebrations and nostalgia. He painted pies, hot dogs and cakes to convey his message.
We have contemporary artist like Maura K Spain, an oil painter who paints varieties of fruits with vibrant colours to depict the beauty and comfort of everyday life activities. Her paintings reflect how food can change domestic spaces and influence the settings of one’s surroundings. Looking at Maura’s food art, her paintings evoke feelings of warmth and nostalgia that shape human perspectives, reminding viewers of the simple yet delicate moments in life.
(Arts to Heart Project) Sarah L Underwood is also an oil painter who uses food as her subject matter in her artworks. Sarah’s paintings celebrate the tactile and visual pleasures of everyday moments. Her works are not just depictions of food but are meditations on the beauty found in the mundane. Sarah’s paintings are expressions of her love for simple and elegant things in life.
Food as a subject in art has also garnered significant attention from photographers in the art world. We have photographers who mainly focus on food as their subject and take striking images of fresh, garnished and mouldly foods. These photographers attend social gatherings or ceremonies just to document how food is served at these events, explore how they are consumed and how it impacts gatherings. They also capture food shared among the people to tell stories of how communal meal influences the setting and atmosphere among human interactions.
In our contemporary world, food has become a message in the gallery of social media. People take beautiful images of their meals and post on social media to share their experiences and moments. Also, they capture the aftermath of the eaten meals, empty plates, waste and messy tables turning their simple consumption into an artistic performance. Some even post food image on their walls and use them as their profile pictures. Treating food as their subject matter rather than just eating it. We have influencers who only post varieties of delicacies on their social media space as a visual journey. This trend shows food art isn’t just limited to museums. Food art has gone beyond exhibitions. Food as art has made waves on our digital platforms to tell stories, receive culinary inspiration and also explore cultural ties.
Most importantly, rotten food has long been used by artists for all its suggestive potential. Historically, mould was depicted in still life paintings as a symbol of human death and decay. There is something gruesomely appealing about a perfectly painted plateful of rotten fruit, coated in a delicate layer of green fluff, oozing smelly-looking liquid substances, perhaps garnished with the odd maggot. The attention to detail required to capture the foulness of moldy food in paint has something quite exquisite, albeit appetite-killing, about it. Artists in recent years have also turned to rotting food in their work, often presenting it via the camera lens, and the theme has been blown wide open. ( The index,2019)
Food as a tool or material in art:
Food as art functions as a material used in art making and not necessarily the subject. Just like how painters use oil paints, brushes and colours, solvents and primers to make art, food is employed by some artists to achieve their artistic expression. We have contemporary artists using leftovers, food ingredients in its raw state to make art.
Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist born in 1961 makes art with unconventional materials. He is best known for his work recreating popular and historical images and artworks using materials like dirt, garbage, tomato sauce, diamonds, chocolate syrup, magazine and clippings. He often works on a very large scale, takes a photograph of his work, and then destroys the original (often because it is made of something that cannot last, like dust). ( Neighbourhood Art Center, 2021)
Laila Gohar is a notable contemporary artist who uses food as a creative medium. She uses the set up of food to tell stories and create new experiences for people. Laila creates surreal designs with food often receiving different opinions from viewers. Laila might sew pieces of bread together and place it on a dining table. Her art pieces can feel funny, beautiful, or even a bit uncomfortable, making people think differently about everyday food.Her works have appeared at galleries, fashion shows and diners.
Joseph Marr, an Australian artists uses sugar as a tool in his artworks. He melts sugar and uses it to make feminine sculptures mostly . Joseph maintains that Sugar is a sensual thing we suck on like a drug each day, it’s an energy source, a life source in everything. Plants are all converting light into energies such as sugars in the photosynthesis process. Astronomers have discovered simple sugar molecules floating in the gas around a star some 400 light-years away, suggesting the possibility of life on other planets. The list goes on giving me ideas in every direction to make sculptures with sugar as the medium. ( thephotophore.com)
Tracy Thompson, a Ghanaian contemporary artist uses food to create amazing artworks. For Tracy, food isn’t just something we consume or discard when we are done with it. She believes food is a living substance full of extraordinary discoveries.
Tracy ferments food or uses food waste to explore landscapes , mountains, environmental patterns and alien elements. Food is used by her to make strong statements concerning waste and consumption. Viewers are allowed to question our food making process and how food could be manipulated and transformed into different patterns and forms.
With my practice, I am generally interested in plasticity, and how art is transformed materially, which includes chemical or molecular transformation. Generally, how anything could be transformed into new forms. It started with experimenting with turning rigid blocks of styrofoam packages into fluid organic forms. This was also inspired by artists like Eva Hesse.It was through my research on styrofoam at the Materials Engineering department in KNUST, where I begun the transition from petroleum plastic to “bioplastic”. – Tracey Naa Koshie Thompson
Tracy says her intervention as an artist has always been to subvert forms. In knowing how bioplastic industry uses raw materials like corn and potato starches to make bioplastics, she wanted to find her own recipe. Since it was also common for people to use biowaste from their kitchen to make bioplastics, she begun to look into an interesting form of post-production.
I found it will be rather be interesting if I could take already-made food as material to process into ambiguous forms. Creating biofabrics made of jollof, waakye, hausa kooko etc. That will be more interesting than generic use of corn , potato or cassava starch. Instead of cassava, why not use gari instead. Just as my mentor kąrî’kạchä seid’ōu will put it: ” art is something radically new”. The work now engages the context of culinary cultures; and with art, the genre of still-life where food in art is categorized in western canon.- Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson
Tracy’s materials (food) has always been central to her artistic journey. The food she chooses are based on culturally defining characteristics. She uses food that is connected to the places she gets to exhibit her work. This also gives her the opportunity to discover and learn new things and creates varied experiences for viewers. Tracy’s transformation of dishes throws viewers into a state of awe. Viewers are left to think and ask questions. They wonder how food can be stretched to this point. It forces them to take a closer look at how art can be daring as familiar foods are totally changed into ambiguous forms.
I mostly choose foods based on the places where I exhibit. The cultural specificity to my work, always creates a new learning experience to try new things, as there is no way I could exhaust all the foods in the world for my experimentation. When I showed in Korea for instance, I could combine Korean Kimchi with Ghanaian waakye. The cultural specificity is also subverted through the material transformation. In using popular foods the audience know, the works in the end are ambiguous and not literal. It is difficult to superficially engage my work to know what material it is made of. Its like a plastic surgery process which does not enhance appearance, but totally changes or deforms it. I love the nature of experiencing a sort of cognitive dissonance. Ambiguity is very key to my practice. Where you cannot easily associate what you normally know with what you encounter with in my work. An element of surprise moves anyone.-Tracey Naa Koshie Thomspon
Tracy’s artworks is a response to still life tradition. Where traditional paintings only capture food appearance, she goes beyond. Tracy explores other aspects of food ; smell, taste, decay , fermentation and other tangible qualities. She believes food can be the subject matter but it can also be used as a tool for making something unique and unfamiliar.
My work confronts the classification of what still-life is. It confronts the notion of inanimacy and the limits of representation when it comes to foods. In working with food as vibrant material, one could explore smell, decay, cooking itself, fermentation, microbes etc.—which broadens the scope of art beyond traditional painting and sculpture. It also enters into ecological politics as the notion of agency is expanded beyond human. –Tracey Naa Koshie Thomspon
Tracy maintains that not all art is meant to last. Her artworks being eaten by microbes is art in itself. She is so critical of food because she loves to experiment with food beyond how it is ordinarily known and treated.
Not all art is meant to last. Microbes consuming the art, is in itself art. Art always has a way of being its own antithesis, which is relevant in expanding new perspectives of what art could be. It’s just like performative art or relational aesthetics but it is not centered solely on human actions. That is the point of my work. That is why still-life is relevant as it brings into foreground, objects that are relegated into the backgrounds of human-centered narratives. We have artists like Eva Hesse, Daniel Spoerri and Anicka Yi who have explored ephemerality. Its also not a new thing for art not to be permanent. When you look at indigenous cultures that practice animist beliefs, foods occupy a special place in society beyond its banality. Otherwise a lot of art forms that are performative and ephemeral could be delegitimized, especially ones which do not fit traditional western canons. Contemporary art shifts beyond such traditional centrality to be inclusive of all forms that may historically have been disregarded.-Tracey Naa Koshie Thomspon
Tracy notes that she is interested in scientific process of subverting food into different forms because it’s already part of art and its a process of making it. To her, they are not just “cultural” objects which is important to demystify.
At times the tension in our Ghanaian space see art and science as oppositions but they complement each other. For instance, there is no way a traditional 13CE benin bronze sculpture is made with no scientific knowledge. They definitely had knowledge of thermodynamics and metallurgy. Also if we take Ewe kente weaving, there is no way they could have come up with curved patterns without any knowledge in mathematics.The scientific aspects is always there. It is just my interest as an artist to focus on material aspects of making art as well. For me, science is already in the kitchen, not just a white lab. –Tracey Naa Koshie Thomspon
Food as a tool used in making art may seem unrealistic and unconventional but it highlights how fragile things can be used meaningfully and creatively. Food is especially interesting as an artistic medium because of how artists are able to use it in diverse and innovative forms to send messages, tell stories, evoke emotions and inspire new discoveries.
Food as art can be thought of as a creative social experience where individuals laugh over their breakfast tables, share ideas on lunch dates and make plans during dinner time. I believe the process of making food is art ; where different ingredients are thoughtfully put together to create new taste, flavors and appealing looks.
Food is a catalyst used by certain artists to promote social bonding and diverse interactions.
Geoffrey Akpene Biekro popularly known as Captain uses culinary interventions as his art practice. For Captain, he believes food goes beyond consumption and waste. He cooks delicacies, engages in collaborations and shared eating as way of depicting how art is consumed.
This is what he says concerning using food as his art practice.
I use culinary interventions as my art practice. It combines cooking, collaboration, and shared eating as a way of raising questions about how art is consumed and perceived — both through our senses and within our cultural context.– Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Geoffrey is also interested in the idea of satisfaction in art. Just like how we much on food and devour it when famished , does the same apply to art. Do we get satisfied just by collecting artworks or attending exhibitions and lose interest afterwards. Geoffrey says food is art because the same way we treat our favourite meals or hunger is synonymous to art and how we engage with it.
I’m also interested in the idea of satisfaction in art. When you buy a meal, it satisfies you temporarily — you eat, you feel full, but eventually you get hungry again. I wonder if the same applies when you buy an artwork: you acquire it, it gives you meaning or pleasure for a while, but do you eventually seek something new to fill that space again? – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Geoffrey’s art practice starts from the very inception of the cooking process through to the consumption period and its aftermath.
He noted that cooking becomes art at the moment it moves beyond sustenance into intention and meaning. To him it’s not one single point — it’s the entire sequence. The process is the craft, like a sculptor shaping clay. The collaboration is the dialogue, where other people’s stories and techniques enter the work. The act of consuming is the performance, where the audience completes the piece with their senses and reactions. The aftermath — the conversations, memories, even the hunger that returns — is the residue, the question that lingers. – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Geoffrey sees the whole cycle as the artwork not just the separate events or the food itself.
Geoffrey carries the process of his art practice anywhere he wants to.
He says he does it in the streets as an intervention in a space, but he doesn’t limit himself to traditional gallery walls.
I practice wherever people gather around food: in gallery spaces, at public exhibitions, in community kitchens. I am also now thinking even through the digital space of the app. – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
For him, the gallery provides context and attention, but the kitchen or dining table provides the real context for food. His practice lives in that overlap between the institutional space and the everyday space.
Talking about performing his art practice in digital space, he expresses his desires and plans on how to make things work on the digital space. He did not overlook the implications this step could have on his art practice, he see’s it as an opportunity to expand his artistic work.
Yes, I do plan to extend my practice into the digital space, and I’m aware of the contradictions that may come with it. The core of my work is built on shared, sensory, communal experiences — the smell of food, the act of eating together, the unplanned conversations that happen around a gathering. The digital space can’t fully replicate that. It may affect the taste and smell that are central to food. I don’t see the digital space as a replacement. I see it as an expansion, with three main intentions: Documentation & Archive: Using the app and digital platforms to document recipes, stories, and conversations from the physical interventions. It becomes a living archive that people can return to, even if they weren’t at the table. That way, the “aftermath” of the meal lasts longer. Collaboration at a distance: The app allows people in different locations to cook the same dish, share photos, and exchange stories in real time. It won’t be the same intimacy as sitting together, but it creates a new kind of communal space one that’s more accessible across geography and class. New questions: The digital shift itself becomes part of the artwork. It forces me to ask: What do we lose when eating becomes content? Can a food image still trigger memory or hunger? Does scrolling replace chewing? By moving into the digital space, I get to explore how our relationship with consumption is changing.
I accept that the digital world will affect the practice, it has to. But I’m not trying to preserve the work in amber. I’m interested in how the work evolves under pressure, and what new questions emerge when food, art, and technology collide. -Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Conversations erupt in regards to everyday issues or the food they are salvaging at the moment. For Geoffrey, as static objects evoke emotions and voices so does food. Here, there’s not only the exhibited work but food serves as a catalyst for artistic expression and creativity.
I set the conditions, but I don’t script the conversation. I design the setting, the menu, and the initial prompts — maybe a question card at the table or a story behind the dish — but after that, I step back. Real meaning comes when people bring their own experiences to the table. If I control the dialogue too much, it stops being a shared experience and becomes a lecture. – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Geoffrey says the questions, themes and experiences he explores in his art practice using food isn’t fixed. Rather, the feedback he gets are moments of insight.
I don’t think I’m looking for fixed answers. The questions about satisfaction, consumption ,memory and value don’t have one resolution. Someone will tell me a story about their grandmother’s recipe that connects to the theme. Or two strangers will start discussing what they consider “valuable” after sharing a meal. Those moments are the results. They show me that the work is creating space for reflection. – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
The kind of food he decides to cook translates to the answers and objectives he intends to achieve at the end of the day. Food is not just sustenance. It carries culture, memory, class , identity and history. The shared meals open up wide conversations.
I might choose a staple like roasted plantain or abolo not just for taste, but because it’s communal and tied to Ghanaian identity. Or I might use ingredients that are seasonal and local to question sustainability and access. Even the way food is served shared from leaves or one bowl versus plated individually can speak to ideas of community versus individualism. The ingredient is the material, but the meaning is in the context. I try to positioning food as both medium and metaphor. That’s what makes it compelling in an art context. – Geoffrey Akpene Biekro
Rirkrit Tiravanija, a Thai contemporary artist created an exhibition entitled Untitled (Free) at 303 Gallery in New York in 1992 . This landmark piece, in which the artist converted a gallery into a kitchen where he served rice and Thai curry for free. In this deceptively simple conceptual piece, the artist invites the visitor to interact with contemporary art in a more sociable way, and blurs the distance between artist and viewer. You aren’t looking at the art, but are part of it—and are, in fact, making the art as you eat curry and talk with friends or new acquaintances. (moma.org)
Imagine visiting a gallery where you are served food while viewing the exhibits displayed. It makes the whole experience of the exhibition a social movement rather than staring at a static works hanged on walls. Offering food or a cup of coffee in a gallery creates an inviting space where viewers talk about the art work, exchange ideas and even engage in other personal subjects.
Daniel Spoerri, a Swiss visual artist also does something amazing with food. Instead of using food to make sculptures, he takes actual leftovers from meals like plates, cutlery, crumbs, and half-eaten food and turns them into art. (newsart.com)
He keeps a table exactly as it is after people have eaten. He glues everything in place; plates, glasses, and even the food scraps. After that, he turns the table upright and hangs it on a wall like a picture. Daniel’s artwork resonates deeply with people. It’s not just about sharing a meal with someone. His food art captures the aftermath of connection, the intimacy of conversations , laughter and probably petty squabbles long after the people have left their tables to attend to their routines. His food art is rather a social artistic medium used to reflect on fleeting memories and revisit everyday interactions.
Food as art does not only involve exhibitions, paintings and food sculptures but also artworks made from food residues and waste. Trash becomes something valuable and eternal. Food is recycled and used in the production of usable items, sculptures and valuable items. With this trend, food is not something we eat and forget, but something we choose to look at and feel.
There are some artists who use food waste such as coconut shells, oyster shells and olive seeds to produce numerous artefacts. We find these people turning waste to wealth. Several usable and decorative objects like chandeliers, keychains,wooden cups, spoons, plates and flower vases are produced with coconut shells.
Nigerian business owner, Nike of Liquida Crafts produces jewelleries, keychains and other accessories from recycled coconut shells.
JKMeoli , another creative talent and craftsman uses coconut shells and olive seeds to carve beautiful African artworks, beads, pendants and bracelets.
Images are retrieved from JK Meloi Art Gallery
Importantly, food as art stretches beyond being just a subject matter or a tool used in the art world. With the advancement of technology, we have food adverts on our screens and billboards. Food is given character and life. Through animation and digital platforms, food can act, talk and engage one’s emotions. In a movie like sausage party, the sausages and other food items engage in dialogue and exhibit human emotions. Digital artists transform food into living artworks instead of physically arranging them as some artists do. This discovery has revealed how food, a consumable matter, is turned into a character to market products and make it more appealing to consumers. Billboards on the roads have food ingredients take the form of a human figures or emojis smiling to capture the attention of a passerby. Food art in the digital space is used to tell stories and realise artistic expressions.
Food as art reminds us of how human creativity and innovation can lead to big discoveries and beautiful explorations. We could boldly say food and humans have lived side by side as counterparts. It is fascinating to see how artists keep proving it, and have created perspectives on what we eat, and how we turn it into art.
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Article by Ewurama Welbeck (Assistant Editor |The Neoteric)
Ewurama Tawiah Welbeck is an aspiring creative writer with a profound love for writing. She recently completed her Bachelor of Education in Arts (English and History) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). She finds amusement in the world and its entities, which inspires her to express her thoughts and views with the world . Ewurama’s writing span over a diverse range of topics, drawn from her surroundings and interpersonal relationships. Ewurama sheds light on issues through poetry, short stories, quotes and discourses. At The Neoteric, she serves as Assistant Editor, supporting editorial development, research, and content refinement across the platform’s publishing and cultural initiatives.
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