Alisa Baremboym, Patterson Beckwith, David Berezin, Pierre Bismuth, Josh Blackwell, Keil Borrman, Olaf Breuning, Sara Clendening, CONFETTISYSTEM, Jim Drain, Bella Foster, Espen Friberg, Lina Viste Grønli, Ann Cathrin November Høibo, Charles Irvin, Thomas Julier and Kaspar Muller, Jason Kakoyiannis, Zak Kitnick, Ella Kruglyanskaya, Viktor Kopp, Mahomi Kunikata, Margaret Lee, Brendan Lynch, Ted Mineo, Marilyn Minter, Pentti Monkkonen, Takeshi Murata, Yoshitomo Nara, Laura Owens, Nicolas Party, Guillaume Pilet, Aurie Ramirez, Sarah Rara, Scott Reeder, Theo Rosenblum, Kenny Scharf, Lisa Sitko, Lucien Smith, Soju Tao, Wayne Thiebaud, Caroline Thomas, White Zinfandel, William Wegman, B.Wurtz, Dena Yago, Amy Yao

Performances at the opening include The Egg Fugue by Scott and Tyson Reeder, and Fantasy Sandwich by Charles Irvin. 
DJ at the opening: Wendy Yao.
Logo design by Espen Friberg/Yokoland.

Thanks to Wendy Yao for LA consulting!

Curated by Hanne Mugaas, Royal T, Los Angeles, April 27 – August 1, 2012

The day is coming when
a single carrot
freshly observed
will set off a revolution. 
-Paul Cezanne

Intended to induce “the pleasures of the table”, the exhibition The Art of Cooking showcases artists who are making use of food in their work - as obsession, exploration or celebration - and often with a big dash of humor.

The works included span different media, from drawing and painting to digital prints and clothing. Takeshi Murata updates the traditional still life to digital 3D prints of empty beer cans and fast food cups. Viktor Kopp’s focus is on chocolate bars, which he continuously paints, experimenting with the rigid geometry of the grid. Amy Yao shows clothing ornamented with hot dogs and bananas, from a collection based on the chance encounter of a sewing machine and a banana on a kitchen table. Josh Blackwell embroiders throwaway grocery plastic bags into precious objects. Scott Reeder makes abstract paintings using raw and cooked spaghetti, playing with the macho, academic nature of that media– and Kenny Scharf paints donuts humorously floating in surreal skies.

Food is something we can all relate to, as a social signifier and everyday source of pleasure. With this show, the curator Hanne Mugaas (who is from a family of restaurateurs and gourmet chefs) says “Food has always been present in art. With this show I wanted to focus on contemporary artists who represent food in interesting but also humorous ways – as food is (for most of us) linked to pleasure, not only when it comes to taste but also social interaction. This exhibition is meant to celebrate food – no matter if it is a gourmet meal, a donut, or a slice of toast with marmalade”.