Currently on view at Brenda May Gallery is a curated group exhibition titled Art + Humour Me featuring the works of twenty Australian contemporary artists. In addition to a cardigan-wearing tree, the show includes artworks in a range of mediums from sculpture to video and naturally I was drawn to the three cast resin jelly mold sculptures by Janet Tavener (pictured below). For a serious laugh or at the very least a bit of a giggle visit Art + Humour Me on view at Brenda May Gallery (2 Danks St., Waterloo), on view until 7 May 2011.

I am very excited to announce that I will be curating an art + food exhibition next year at Brenda May Gallery. We are now accepting proposals from artists so please read the exhibition outline below and contact the Gallery with any questions or visit the submissions page for further details.

Art + Food – Beyond the Still Life – October 2012

This exhibition will consider the representation of food within the visual arts and beyond the standard still life tableaux. The consumption of food is a universally shared experience, enabling viewers to connect with the issues surrounding consumerism, food production and cultural identity, explored by the artists. Art + Food – Beyond the Still Life will be on exhibition during the Sydney International Food Festival.
Proposals for this show must be received by Friday 27 July, 2012.

Janet Tavener, Baby Blue No 3 (2011), coloured resin, 12 x 12 x 12 cm, Brenda May Gallery

Janet Tavener is a contemporary Australian sculptor working in cast resin and ice. Her resin works encompass a range of foods from hamburgers and french fries to the jelly molds that appear ironically similar to the real thing. The resin foods call attention to the artificiality of the products in contemporary consumer culture. Tavener exported the familiar shapes and forms of her resin sculptures into ice for her recent exhibition, ‘Melting Moments’ at Incinerator Art Space in Willoughby. The series of photographs display the sculptures as they melt, highlighting the temporality of life and precarious position of the environment as food production increases the demands upon the earth.

Vanilla & Blueberry Frozen Fruit Mold

Yield: 6 servings

300 grams blueberries
2 limes, juiced
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 cup water
whipped cream, to serve

Reserve 1/2 cup of the blueberries and add the remainder to a large bowl. Add the lime juice and with a hand blender, puree the mixture. Stir in the sugar, seeds from the vanilla bean and water.

Pour the blueberry mixture into a decorative mold. Add the reserved blueberries to the bottom of the mold and let set overnight in the freezer. To unmold, dip into hot water for 30 seconds before inverting. Delicious when paired with whipped cream.