Dear friends,
You're invited to Gastrosophy, an exhibition about the art and science of good eating. I am one of seven artists exploring the social, political and cultural functions of food in this exhibit.
They examine themes of its substance, social value, personal and cultural experiences, rituals of preparation and consumption and issues related to global production and distribution across media. Ultimately, the question that binds all of these artists together is: “What are we actually doing when we sit down to eat?” — Olivia Chow, Curator
At the opening, I will be performing a piece titled Practical Magick; of Kitchen Witchery where I will be sharing bread and tea in the kitchen space.
This piece explores mundane magic and subtle acts of superstition that are taken for granted in our everyday lives, for example, tossing spilled salt over your left shoulder or using aloe vera. The artwork was inspired by the innocuous doll in my mother's kitchen—the traditional scandinavian poppet, known as a Kitchen Witch, used as a rustic talisman to protect the home and bring good luck—and evolved to encompass references to superstitions, old wives tales, folk magic and ancient pagan traditions.
Because the kitchen is associated with the hearth and is of great importance to folk magic traditions throughout history, I choose to occupy the kitchen space of the gallery, transforming it through performance of rituals like baking bread and brewing tea. In this work, I recreate the space of my kitchen at home by bringing objects from my collection, and creations of more recent origin for the purpose of the exhibition to share with the viewer. I perform the role of kitchen witch—a solitary practitioner of domestic magic and personalized rituals.
The exhibit will also feature a performance of making traditional chinese dumplings. Caution: it may contain flour, meat, shrimp, vegetable, soy, sugar, sesame and traces of peanuts
Join me at the reception tomorrow!
Friday, March 7, from 7 to 10 pm
at The Works Gallery at Jackson Power, 9754 - 60 Ave