Mike Bouchet, "Broyal 1," 2014. Painting - Oil on canvas. 78.74 x 78.74 inches. Private collection, Los Angeles. (Courtesy Peres Projects, Berlin).
Stream image: Christina Nicodema, "Elephant Raft" 2019. Oil and archival ink on canvas 57 x 75 in. Collection of Ana Appledole. Courtesy of Christina Nicodema and Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Houston.Explore our culture’s complicated relationship with food through visual arts in “A la carte,” presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts from Sept. 8-Dec. 12.
“A la carte: A Visual Exploration of Our Relationship with Food” features more than 30 nationally and internationally renowned contemporary artists, whose works utilize food to explore relevant contemporary social and cultural issues. These works examine the role of food in advertising, popular culture, nutrition, activism, food disparities, globalization, sexuality, spirituality, workers’ rights, cultural identity, sustainability and many other topics. This exhibition has been two years in the making. All exhibition programming will be virtual, but AEIVA is currently exploring options this fall for public accessibility to the exhibit.
AEIVA has launched the self-guided virtual tour of the exhibition, which includes all artworks from the exhibit as well as all accompanying interpretive text panels. Visit AEIVA online here to explore the exhibition; follow the arrows to guide you through to each new work.
AEIVA will publish an exhibition catalog featuring full-color reproductions of all works included in the exhibition, along with essays and information about each artist. AEIVA will also invite local and regional chefs to contribute recipes inspired by artworks from “A la carte” that will be featured in the accompanying book.
Join AEIVA via Zoom 6-7 p.m. CT Tuesday, Sept. 8, for a virtual public preview of the exhibition. Attendees will hear from AEIVA’s Senior Director John Fields, Assistant Curator Tina Ruggieri, and artists Andrew Moore, Henry Hargreaves, Sean Raspet and Cedric Smith as they discuss a selection of works from the exhibition.
To attend the virtual event on Sept. 8, register online at www.uab.edu/aeiva/exhibitions/a-la-carte. A link to the event will be sent to those registered one hour prior to the event. The event will be recorded and posted to AEIVA on YouTube.
AEIVA has planned a series of educational programs and initiatives to enhance the public impact of “A la carte.” The first is “Outside the Lines: Live Coloring Night” with artist Christina Nicodema at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3; registration is required.
Emily Eveleth, "Big Pink." Oil on canvas. 78x60 inches. (Courtesy of the artist and Danese/Corey, New York)Visit AEIVA on Facebook for full details yet to be announced and additional upcoming events, including:
- Tuesday, Sept. 15, “Inside the Arts” Artist Lecture with Emily Eveleth, 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 1, “Outside the Lines: Live Coloring Night” with artist Patty B. Driscoll, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, “Chamber Music @ AEIVA,” a free virtual concert of chamber music, thoughtfully curated in response to artworks in “A la carte” exhibition and performed by some of Alabama’s top musicians.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, “Our Complicated Relationship with Food” public panel discussion will explore how food intersects various facets of our culture, such as food deserts, cultural identity, mental health and nutrition, in Birmingham and beyond. Featuring food industry professionals, scholars and artists, including College of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor of Psychology Mary M. Boggiano, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., in the School of Health Professions’ Department of Nutrition Sciences; chef Kenneth Moore; artist and UAB alumna Celestia Morgan; and AEIVA Senior Director John Fields.
- Thursday, Nov. 5, “Outside the Lines: Live Coloring Night” with artist Margaret Morrison.
- Thursday, Nov. 19, a special performance from poets and performers addressing themes presented in AEIVA’s “A la carte” exhibition. Featuring alumna Ashley M. Jones, Voice Porter, UAB students and Adam Vines, UAB associate professor and director of Creative Writing in the CAS Department of English.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, “Outside the Lines: Live Coloring Night” with artist David Sandlin.
| Join AEIVA on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. for a virtual public preview of the exhibition and discussion highlighting a selection of its works. |
Featured artists in the exhibition are Bob Adelman, John Baldessari, Maarten Baas, Rick Beck, Mike Bouchet, Jennifer Coates, Sue Coe, Darryl Curran, Chris Cunningham, Bruce Davidson, Patty B. Driscoll, Nicole Eisenman, Emily Eveleth, Skylar Fein, Frank Fleming, Roscoe Hall, Henry Hargreaves, Paul Kremer, Futoshi Miyagi, Jiha Moon, Andrew Moore, Celestia Morgan, Margaret Morrison, Vik Muniz, Christina Nicodema, Richard Olney, Charo Oquet, Sean Raspet, Robert Rauschenberg, Walter Robinson, David Sandlin, Cedric Smith, Lucy Sparrow, Robert von Sternberg, Wayne Thiebaud, Mose Tolliver, Andy Warhol and Meg Webster.