It may not be given much thought by some, but food is integral to life. From basic sustenance to delectable indulgence, food is engrained more into our lives then the daily three square meals. Food holds cultures and religions together. It can also be political, commercial, creative or symbolic. Aperture and Susan Bright have teamed together to produce the first book to cover photography's rich history involving food. The book “Feast For The Eyes” does not only cover fine art, but also genres such as commercial, scientific and photojournalism photography.
“Feast For The Eyes” features some of the art world’s most influential photographers. Like contemporary artist Nobuyoshi Araki, who is known for his symbolism and sexualized imagery. His work involving food uses food as an object of suggestion, with phallic shaped bananas and fingers shoved inside an orange.
Food takes a political stance with Sarah Lucas, where she takes holds ground against gender and the objectification of women bodies. Lucas uses foods such as bananas, chickens and eggs to point out male aggression, and draws attention to how the female form is viewed. Her “Self Portrait with Fried Eggs” is a perfect example of how Lucas uses the eroticism of food and turns it into a political statement.
Roe Ethridge’s inspiration draws away from the sensual emotions tied to food and focuses on photography from the 50s though 70s. Ethridge takes the bold, pristine and painting like parts of vintage photography and twists it with surprising oddities; from peeling sections off fruits and arranging them in interesting ways, or mouldy melting cheese, his work is meant to confuse, concern and intrigue.
In addition, the book features artist from all eras- Roger Fenton, Nickolas Muray, Edward Weston, Irving Penn, Stephen Shore, Laura Letinsky, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Martin Parr. “Feast For The Eyes” by Susan Bright is now available at aperture.com.