Feast for the Eyes

Presented at The Polygon Gallery, Feast for the Eyes is a featured exhibition for the 2021 Festival exploring the rich history of food as one of photography’s most prevalent and enduring subjects. In an age where sharing images of food has emerged as a unique facet of contemporary culture, this exhibition offers a look at the timeless ways in which things we eat shape us and our perceptions of the world.

Featuring works by some of the most important artists of the past century, the presentation includes Nobuyoshi Araki, Guy Bourdin, Nan Goldin, Vik Muniz, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans, Andy Warhol, Weegee, and 50 more. The exhibition foregrounds their images within a history of artistic, commercial, fashion, and science photography, providing an unexpected and remarkable survey of food’s central role in our lives.

The exhibition is organized across three key themes. “Still Life” examines how food is prepared for visual consumption, a long-standing art genre that continues to evolve over time. “Around the Table” investigates the social dynamics of eating, calling attention the rituals of cultural identity that unfold around the sharing and providing of food. The final section, “Playing with Food”, observes the role of food in performance and play, infusing food photography with humour and irony.

Participating Artists Include: Nobuyoshi Araki, Jo Ann Callis, Sian Bonnell, Guy Bourdin, Henri Cartier Bresson, Lans Christensen, Hannah Collins, Sharon Core, Grant Cornett, Robert Cumming, Imogen Cunningham, Robert Doisneau, Harold (Doc) Edgerton, Roe Ethridge, Marion Faller and Hollis Frampton, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Roger Fenton, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Nan Goldin, Daniel Gordon, Ronny Jaques, Charles Jones, Hiroyo Kaneko, Rinko Kawauchi, Victor Keppler, Carl Kleiner, Luis Lemus, Laura Letinsky, Russell Lee, Ouka Leele, Joseph Maida, Chris Maggio, William H. Martin, Man Ray, Peter Menzel, Keirnan Monaghan and Theo Vamvounakis, Nickolas Muray, Vik Muniz, Helmut Newton, Holger Niehaus, Paul Outerbridge, Martin Parr, Irving Penn, JR, Martha Rosler, Ed Ruscha, Carolee Schneemann, Cindy Sherman, Stephen Shore, Sandy Skoglund, Paul Strand, Tony Stellato, Anne Testut, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, Wolfgang Tillmans, Lorenzo Vitturi, Tim Walker, Andy Warhol, Donald Weber, Weegee, Edward Weston, T.R. Williams, Romulo Yanes.

Feast for the Eyes is organized by Aperture Foundation and curated by Susan Bright and Denise Wolff

Complementing the exhibition are a series of artist- and chef-led activities, lectures, and culinary events centered on themes of community, nutrition, and food sourcing.

This exhibition at The Polygon is generously supported by The Babalos Family, and Paula Palyga and David Demers, through their membership in The Polygon’s Exhibition Circle.