America has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, so it's not surprising when artists find inspiration in sweet desserts and the greasy fast food industry.
Chomp! Chomp! is a food-themed exhibit of paintings by Detroit artists Lindsay Yeatts, Emily Pelton and John Azoni. It will be featured at the Lansing Art Gallery through Aug. 27.
"Food is such a huge part of our lives and it represents our culture," Azoni said. "It's how we connect to each other and what our battles and pleasures are. We talk and engage with each other over a meal. Everyone has a different connection to food."
The idea for the show was developed nine months ago after the three friends realized they were all creating similar food-themed work. And although the theme is the same, Azoni said this exhibit will show the different aspects of food - from healthy to high-calorie.
| Chomp! Chomp! Lansing Art Gallery, 119 North Washington Square Through Aug. 27 |
"I try to keep the concept of the show open," Azoni said. "Because Emily has these really gorgeous paintings of cakes and ice cream, it's more beautiful. She displays a different side, the gourmet side of food.
"Lindsay has this one gorgeous painting in the show; it's a baseball in the middle of a hotdog bun and has ketchup and mustard all over it," he added. "But then she has these abstracted pomegranates and things like that. She has a diverse approach to it."
After years of being intrigued by slovenly American foods, Azoni said this show finally spotlights those inspirations.
"Since I was in college, I started getting interested in imagery of messy things," he said. "Like really sloppy food and greasy pizzas and cups of pop spilling. I started getting interested in the American way of doing things, so I just started representing that kind of imagery in my paintings."
While other artists in the exhibit focus on confections, Azoni said he was drawn to fast food and its immediacy.
"A lot of my imagery is about fast food and our Western approach to food -- which is usually just faster, cheaper, mass-produced," he said. "It's also about how it's hard to not love it. I like a lot of different, good quality foods, but at the same time I love fast food and Dairy Queen and stuff like that. For me, it's kind of a tongue-in-cheek poke at myself."
