Bon Appétit · 03
Art You Can Eat
Mimma’s notes
The inspiration for this cartoon came from two very different encounters with food as art: that famous banana on a wall, and the beautiful culinary creations at Zilte in Antwerp.
I have had the pleasure of dining at Zilte a few times. Each visit felt like a culinary journey of discovery, filled with unexpected flavours, delicate details and dishes that made me pause and admire them before taking the first bite.
With chef Viki Geunes’s restaurant located at the top of the MAS, the connection between a museum visit and a culinary adventure felt especially fitting.
I don’t have a Zilte recipe tucked away in my kitchen drawer, unfortunately. For that particular culinary adventure, you’ll have to visit Zilte itself!
Leek soup or a lovely leek quiche, however, is within my reach. Perhaps with some onion, a little bacon or pancetta and a gentle hint of curry…
If you fancy a recipe, leave me a little message in the Cruiser Bay mailbox. Our museum leek might yet have a delicious second career.
The Curious Bite
When food becomes Art
In 2019, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan presented Comedian at Art Basel Miami Beach: a real banana attached to a wall with duct tape.
And yes, people bought it. The work was offered in three official editions. In November 2024, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun paid US$6.24 million, including auction fees, for one of them at a Sotheby’s auction.
I must admit, I blinked a few times while researching this story. It seems Mr Cattelan has a bit of a businessman in him, too.
What do you actually get?
A certificate of authenticity and detailed installation instructions allowing you to display your edition of the work. The banana itself can be replaced. You are buying an authenticated conceptual artwork, rather than one particularly precious piece of fruit.
Personally, I’m not sure I’d want a banana hanging on my wall. I wonder whether the installation instructions include advice on fruit flies.
The artist behind the banana
Cattelan was already an internationally established artist long before Comedian. The Guggenheim in New York devoted a major retrospective to his work in 2011. His provocative sculptures include La Nona Ora, depicting Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite, and America, a functioning toilet made of 18-karat gold.
That does help explain the attention — and perhaps the price. I’m still getting my head around it.
An idea to chew on
Comedian is conceptual art: the idea is central, rather than the particular physical object. The questions, discussion and reactions it provokes are part of the experience. In this case, it invites us to consider what we call art and why we assign it value.
At the restaurant table, Mimma and Truffle encounter a different kind of creativity. Colour, texture, shape, aroma and flavour come together through extraordinary skill and imagination. Something beautiful to admire, discover and — happily — eat.
That is an artistic experience I find much easier to appreciate.
Still, this business of provoking reactions has made me think about Truffle. He certainly raises questions, surprises me and makes me reconsider things.
Perhaps I’ve been travelling with a work of conceptual Art all along.
One that requires regular feeding.
Truffle’s verdict
“On reflection, I’m glad the leek was for looking at. And these little masterpieces were for eating.”
Did this story make you smile?