Raw Cooked Rotten
26-29 September, 2023
Malta Society of Arts Exhibition Vaults, Valletta
Produced for Taboo Transgression Transcendence 2023
RawCookedRotten
TTT2023 Malta ArtShow
Malta Society of Arts, Sept 26-29, 2023
For TTT2023 Malta artshow we borrow the terms “raw,” “cooked,” and “rotten” and the concept of the culinary triangle introduced by Lévi-Strauss, to highlight the interplay between nature and culture, the transformative power of cooking, and the importance of food safety and preservation. Symbolizing the untouched, untransformed essence of ingredients, often associated with concepts such as purity, authenticity, and naturalness, the raw can be seen as an opposition to cultural intervention, reflecting a direct link to the environment and the source of sustenance. On the other hand, representing the knowledge, skills, and creativity involved in culinary practices, the cooked highlights the social and symbolic significance of cooking, including the sharing of meals, culinary traditions, and the expression of cultural identity. And finally, the breaking down of cultural and social boundaries regarding acceptable food, the rotten, what has undergone decay, decomposition, or spoilage, signifies the loss of desirable culinary qualities and edibility and becomes associated with themes of danger and contamination.
Through the artworks gathered for TTT2023 Malta artshow under the title RawCookedRotten we invite you to explore the dimensions of food and reflect as well on the complex meanings and relationships between Eating and Beingeaten. Eating involves cultural practices, culinary techniques, and social rituals surrounding food preparation, sharing meals, and the enjoyment of flavors and textures. In contrast, “being eaten” refers to the passive role of an entity being consumed by another. In the context of food, this typically involves animals or plants being hunted, raised, or cultivated for the purpose of being consumed by humans or other organisms, usually for sustenance or survival. Different cultures have specific taboos, rituals, and symbolic interpretations regarding eating and being eaten, such as the spiritual or transformative aspects of consumption, reflecting their values, beliefs, and social structures.
Exhibition
Us and Our Compost-worms #1, by Andrew Paterson (Finland)
Home is Where the Maqlouba is, by Jude Abu Zaineh (United States), courtesy of Cultivamos Cultura (Portugal)
Birthing the Mother, by Louise Mackenzie (United Kingdom) & Kaajal Modi (United Kingdom)
Useless Eaters, by Ian Haig (Australia)
Creatures of future/past, by Roberta Buiani (Canada) & Kaethe Wenzel (Germany)
We are the granddaughters of those who didn’t burn, by Anna Walker (United Kingdom)
Deep Space Call and Response, by Victoria Evans (United Kingdom)
Deep Fjord, by Andrew Carnie (United Kingdom)
Future Fauna, by Kat Mustatea (United States)
Sonus Maris-V2, by Nigel Llwyd William Helyer (Australia)
Cosmic Caresse, by Rudolf Arnold (Germany)
Jejunum, by Jennifer Zackin (United States)
Performances
Luna Park: What is democracy?, by Eleni Kolliopoulou (Greece)
Transmission Ecology, by Dann Disciglio (United States)
Augmented Self, by Zjana Muraro (United Kingdom)
Octagon.Pharma, by Adam Zaretsky (United States / Greece), curated by Hub of Art Laboratories (HAL/Greece)
Takekurabe: interactive choreography and audiovisual performance, by Mary Randou and Yoshimitsu Yoshiya (dance), Iannis Zannos (sound) & Vicky Bisbiki (graphics) (Greece and Japan), curated by Hub of Art Laboratories (HAL/Greece)
Hybrid Nature, sound installation by Apostolos Loufopoulos & Τhanasis Epitidios (Greece), curated by Hub of Art Laboratories (HAL/Greece)
Chili Pepper pleasure: Performative Tasting Meditation workshop, by Maro Pebo (Mexico) & Roland van Dierendonck (Netherlands)
Unlearning Taboo, Peter Purg (Slovenia)
Spinning by Vlasta Žanić (Croatia), curated by KONTEJNER bureau of contemporary art practice
Performing devouring politics by Marko Marković (Croatia), KONTEJNER bureau of contemporary art practice
Next year in MoMA by Siniša Labrović (Croatia), KONTEJNER bureau of contemporary art practice