Depictions of desserts are causing a stir in contemporary art, while offering bitter truths about our society, an arts critic wrote.
From British artist Florence Houston’s surreally perfect fruits encased in quivering jelly to Yvette Mayorga’s frosting-covered acrylic paintings, artists are increasingly exploiting our collective sweet tooth to “hold up a mirror to the instability of the moment,” Artnet News’ Kate Brown argued.
Houston’s pieces often echo the still life desserts painted by Dutch master Jan Davidsz de Heem, which were set on lavish tables to be enjoyed by many. But unlike de Heem’s depictions, Brown observed, Houston’s cakes are not part of a feast but — like us — “stand alone,” “hyper-individualized” and “increasingly isolated.”