The collage titled Stew (2012) by Elizabeth Willing constructed with imagery from vintage cookbooks, will be featured in the upcoming curated exhibition Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life at Brenda May Gallery in Sydney. She clips imagery from stew and casserole recipes which she then “seamlessly knits together.”  Willing describes the artwork thusly,

“The casseroles array of textures and ingredients, made less enticing by the uninspiring food photography of the 70’s and 80’s, make for a revolting spew-like blob far removed from the pleasures of a home cooked meal.”

– Elizabeth Willing, 2012
Elizabeth Willing, Stew (2012), collage, 100 x 100 cm

Elizabeth Willing is a Brisbane-based artist whose “practice examines gastronomy with an emphasis on the collective experience of food; how and what we eat. Between the studio and kitchen, Willing’s work unpacks the structural and sensual qualities of foods often in absurd, unstable and formless ways. Willing explores anxieties and beliefs surrounding feeding and food in a society becoming increasingly aware of what they eat” (text from artist statement). Stew can be viewed at Brenda May Gallery starting Tuesday 2 October as part of the curated exhibition Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life.

This recipe is courtesy the Artist’s roommate, Erika Scott who got it from one of her mum’s old cookbooks. The dish, Chow Mein, provided the inspiration for Willing’s ‘Stew’ collages.