Ten Creative Artists that Use Food as Their Medium or Muse

We like to think of food as the ultimate storyteller and every meal a work of art. But these 10 artists have taken the value of food as art to new heights.
By Alissa Harb

This article has been posted with permission and originally appeared as 10 Incredible Artists Who Work with Food on Relish

Photo courtesy of Hong Yi

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We like to think of food as the ultimate storyteller and every meal a work of art. But these 10 artists have taken the value of food as art to new heights. Some using food as a medium, others using food as subject matter, these contemporary artists are a bunch you’ll want to follow, though probably not on an empty stomach.

Photos courtesy of Jason Mecier

Jason Mecier
A mosaic food artist, Jason Mecier creates stunningly accurate portraits from everyday items. Not the least of these includes breakfast cereal— Exhibit A: Jerry Seinfeld—and varied snack items from goldfish crackers to chocolate covered doughnuts— Exhibit B: Rosie O’Donnell. Also employing “junk” items like buttons and old makeup, Mecier’s portraits are vibrantly colored, and a must-see for pop culture fanatics and avid snackers alike.
For More on this Artist: Jason Mecier

Photo courtesy of Robin Antar

Robin Antar
Robin Antar sculpts stone into seemingly mundane, everyday objects, like condiment bottles, soda cans, and packages of Oreos. The shockingly life-like sculptures in Antar’s collection, appropriately dubbed Realism in Stone, aim to create a “virtual record” by creating permanent works of art, inspired by familiar items. Driven by questions like “Will a bottle of ketchup exist in 3012 AD?” and ozen taking up a to a year to perfect, Antar’s pieces leave onlookers wondering whether her pieces are edible—and have surely lez a chipped tooth or two in their wake.
For More on this Artist: Robin Antar’s Realism in Stone

Photography by Beth Galton

Beth Galton
Photographer Beth Galton explores both the commercial and conceptual realms of food styling and photography, contributing to campaigns for the likes of Campbell’s, Lay’s and Betty Crocker, but also producing stunning collections like Cut Food. The series showcases just that—food cut in half—and inspires that most magical question —how did they do that that? Also boasting photos that explore texture and motion in food, we must say…Galton’s gallery is a feast for the eyes.
For More on this Artist: Beth Galton

Christopher Boffoli
Big Appetites: Tiny People in a World of Big Food, available in September 2013, is filled with photographs of real food, acting as backdrops for mini-dramas featuring tiny, tiny people. Each scene is accompanied by a delightfully cheeky caption. Boyoli’s Doughy Footsteps (pictured) is captioned, “Luc was finally learning to be the protagonist in his own life.” As they say, the best food tells a story.

Photo courtesy of Julie Lee

Julie Lee
Julie Lee, a food blogger out of Santa Monica, Calif., regularly showcases her local produce haul on Instagram (follow her @julieskitchen in beautiful fashion—food collages, made
entirely of foods from her garden or neighborhood farmers’ market. Lee refers to herself as a food-loving nerd, playing “lez brain, right brain ping pong.” But we say— whatever kind of creative table tennis she’s hosting upstairs, it’s workin’.
For More on this Artist: Julie’s Kitchen

Photo courtesy of Hong Yi

Hong Yi
Malaysian artist and architect Hong Yi, also known simply as “Red,” is celebrated for works created with unconventional media. Food falls among the ranks of her unorthodox art supplies. In March 2013, Red took to Instagram (@redhongyi) with her project 31 Days of Food Creativity, in which she ordered to the masses one plate a day, each post a work of art, each work made entirely of food. For More on this Artist: Red Hong Yi

Reprinted with permission © 2013 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust

Caitlin Freeman
Caitlin Freeman, pastry chef for Blue Bottle Coyee (the self-taught kind, we might add), showcases her pastry arts in the cafe at San Fransisco’s Museum of Modern Art, and now in her
cookbook Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art. The pages are lined with insanely impressive recipes for confections like the Mondrian Cake (original art pictured far lez), plus bonus tidbits including (mercifully) accessible pastry how-to’s from Caitlin, like how to temper chocolate or work with buttercream.
For More on this Artist: Modern Art Desserts

Photo courtesy of Andrew Gorkovenko

Andrew Gorkovenko
Russian graphic designer and brand developer Andrew Gorkovenko is the multitalented mastermind behind concepts such as TripTea, a line of exotic teas, the packaging for which includes an illustration for each country of origin—composed entirely of tea leaves. Each country’s unique scene is depicted with its own indigenous tea leaves, and composed by Andrew himself.
For More on this Artist: Andrew Gorkovenko

Photo courtesy of Amelia Harnas

Amelia Harnas
Amelia Harnas works to harness what many of us fear, even loathe—red wine stains— and turns them into lovely, wonderfully ethereal portraits. Though Amelia has recently begun exploring wood kindling as her newest medium of choice (still employing red wine), reproductions of many of her earlier wine stains on fabric are available for purchase on Society6.
For More on this Artist: Truly Amelia

Photography by Alison Anselot

Alison Anselot
Though not strictly a food photographer, Alison Anselot is responsible for a series of stunningly composed food shots, digitally (and perfectly) matched to Pantone colors. This collection makes for an inspirational reminder of the endless catalog of hues available to us each time
we visit the farmers’ market or neighborhood grocery. To see more of the series, visit Anselot’s online gallery.
For More on this Artist: Alison Anselot Photography