artists focus on food safety for 'we are what we eat' exhibit at the united nations

artists focus on food safety for ‘we are what we eat’ exhibit at the united nations
(above) liu bolin — ‘hiding in the city – vegetables’, 2011
archival pigment print, 46 x 59 inches (118 x 150 cm)
© liu bolin, courtesy the artist and klein sun gallery

we are what we eat
united nations headquarters, new york
april 28 to june 30, 2016

the united nations headquarters in new york regularly organizes public exhibitions that highlight important topics on the UN agenda, such as human rights, climate change, children in armed conflict, and violence against women. from april 28 to june 30, 2016, the focus is on food with a group show dedicated to global issues surrounding safe consumption. ‘we are what we eat’ features work from artists liu bolin, edward burtynsky, jim draper, pepe lópez and vik muniz, forming a diverse mix of mediums, styles and subject matters to consider. the exhibit delves into concepts linked to population and economic growth, malnutrition, free range versus farmed proteins and over consumption. 

liu bolin — ‘hiding in the city – puffed food’, 2011
archival pigment print, 46 x 59 inches (118 x 150 cm)
© liu bolin, courtesy the artist and klein sun gallery

the exhibition is developed alongside the united nations ‘sustainable development goal 2’ — an agenda that draws attention to the need for global food security through sustainable agricultural practices, as well as improved nutrition through activism and education. works such as brazilian artist vik muniz’s ‘sugar children’ series (photographs of drawings made in sugar of children, whose parents and grandparents worked on sugar plantations) and american photographer edward burtynsky’s ‘dryland farming’ series (images that depict the semi-arid agricultural region of monegros, spain) demonstrate the magnitude of our food and farming culture. other pieces presented, like chinese artist liu bolin’s ‘hiding in the city’ (body painted self-portraits camouflaged against supermarket interiors) and venezuelan artist pepe lópez’s acrylic painted baskets branded with fast food logos, highlight the consequence of corporate consumption. 

liu bolin — ‘the future’, 2015
archival pigment print, 53 1/4 x 7/8 inches (135 x 180 cm)
© liu bolin, courtesy the artist and klein sun gallery

pepe lópez — ‘macdonalds’, 2004-2016
guapísimas, guapas baskets and acrylic paint, 39 inches (99 cm) in diameter
© pepe lopez, courtesy of the artist and private collection

pepe lópez — ‘starbucks’, 2004
guapísimas, guapas baskets and acrylic paint, 22 1/2 inches (57 cm) in diameter
© pepe lopez, courtesy of the artist and private collection

pepe lópez — ‘pepsi cola’, 2004
guapísimas, guapas baskets and acrylic paint, 23 1/2 inches (60 cm) in diameter
© pepe lopez, courtesy of the artist and private collection

pepe lópez — ‘dunkin donuts’, 2004
guapísimas, guapas baskets and acrylic paint,19 1/2 inches (50 cm) in diameter
© pepe lopez, courtesy of the artist and private collection

edward burtynsky — ‘drylands farming, monegros county, aragon, spain’, 2010
chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches (122 x 163 cm)
© edward burtynsky, courtesy of the artist, bryce wolkowitz gallery and howard greenberg gallery

vik muniz — ‘valicia bathes in sunday clothes’, 1996
gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 inches (36 x 28 cm)
© vik muniz, courtesy of the artist and sikkema jenkins & co. gallery

vik muniz — ‘big james sweats buckets’, 1996
gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 inches (36 x 28 cm)
© vik muniz, courtesy of the artist and sikkema jenkins & co. gallery

jim draper — ‘job’, 2010
serigraph, 22 x 30 inches (56 x 76 cm)
© jim draper, courtesy of the artist and draper studios