incredible religious, occult & anatomical food art

the incredible religious, occult & anatomical food art of AVM
above: from fabric to skull, everything you see inside the display case is edible

there’s a lot of amazing food art out there, but the works of 24-year-old  tasha marks’s london-based experimental ‘curiosity company’ animal vegetable mineral (AVM) are in a class of their own, combining religious and occult imagery, ancient ingredients, and strange historical recipes into astonishingly realistic edible sculptures.

in the memento mori ‘edible vanitas case’, a recent a collaboration with two other food art sculptors at london gallery pertwee, anderson & gold, food historian marks created incredibly realistic fossils, coral, and even fabric to accompany a phrenology skull by food artist annabel de vetten (conjurer’s kitchen) and edible flowers by david bradley (the curious confectioner). exhibited as part of the ‘museum of curiosity’, the entirely edible sculpture was opened to visitors to be broken apart and eaten upon the closing of the show.

marks has created other astonishing works, including inhalable bacon and edible hair made from sugar. in addition, AVM leads workshops on creating multisensory food art, and hosts talks on oft-forgotten dark tidbits of culinary history. in a recent event entitled ‘toxic treats’, marks battled against the nostalgic image held by contemporary culture of 19th century london, revealing a history that in actuality includes children’s sweets dyed with copper and wine sweetened with lead. AVM has also held classes that unite taxidermy with traditional british teatime or detail the history of funeral biscuits, all uniting marks’s technical innovations in edible sculpture with the rich and varied history of food and culture.

detail view, ‘edible vanitas case‘ (2013)
phrenology skull by annabel de vetten (conjurer’s kitchen)
botanicals by david bradley (the curious confectioner)
coral, fossils & fabric by tasha marks (animal vegetable mineral)
image © chelsea bloxsome

‘edible vanitas case’, in the process of being eaten by gallerygoers at the close of the exhibition

the BBC recently conducted an interview with tasha marks about her work.

‘biblical chocolate (the last supper edition)’ by animal vegetable mineral
image © paul singer

‘blood of christ cameo’ candy by AVM, made with church wine

edible prints by tasha marks: art prints (left) and antique lithographs (right)

edible anatomy posters by tasha marks, sprayed with fruit essences