The Polygon Presents Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography

Comments 71 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The Polygon Gallery presents the Canadian premiere of the delectably colourful touring exhibition Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography. Initially scheduled for 2020, but postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic, the sweeping show will be on display from March 4 to May 30, 2021.

Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography
Sharon Core, Early American – Still Life with Oranges, 2008, C-print. Courtesy the artist and Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York.

Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography

  • Where: The Polygon Gallery (101 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver)
  • When: March 4 to May 30, 2021 (Wednesday to Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm, open until 8:00pm on Thursdays)
  • Tickets: Admission to The Polygon Gallery is by donation, made possible through generous, multi-year support from BMO Financial Group.

Curated by writer Susan Bright and Aperture Foundation’s senior editor Denise Wolff, Feast for the Eyes tells the history of photography through the enticing lens of food. Featuring the work of more than 60 of the world’s leading artists from the late 19th century to today, including Guy Bourdin, Man Ray, and Wolfgang Tillmans, the exhibition brings together a mouth-watering assortment of over 100 images from photojournalism to fashion photography, from rare cookbooks to advertising.

“The exhibition documents not only the history of photography through one of the most commonly depicted subjects in visual mediums — food — it also illuminates the shifting outlines of our individual and collective identities through acts of communing, hospitality, and sharing. We are delighted to showcase some of the more provocative images created by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman, and to share how disparate genres of photography have been used to express food’s central, sustaining, role in our lives.” – Reid Shier, Director of The Polygon Gallery.

Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography
Carl Kleiner, Hembakat är Bäst, 2010, Pigment print on acid-free cotton rag 300 gr. Courtesy Carl Kleiner and Evelina Kleiner.

Still Life pays homage to photography’s earliest inspiration, still-life painting, with a focus on classical subjects and composition. The images demonstrate how photography has both borrowed from and subverted the genre of still-lifes, while showcasing the technical and artistic potential of the photographic medium. Black-and-white works by photographer Roger Fenton, one of the world’s first war photographers, are featured alongside work of other pioneers, Edward Weston, the first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, and Imogen Cunningham, who broke through gender barriers to help redefine modern photography.

Around the Table examines the social and cultural rituals and traditions around food and community. Some highlights include photographs by Weegee (Arthur Felig), who documented everyday rituals around food such as early-morning bagel deliveries in 1930s and 40s New York, and the Foods of the World series of cookbooks published by Time and LIFE, which captured representations of cultural and national identities through food. A special display of both historical and local cookbooks will be showcased adjacent to the section.

Playing With Your Food reveals how food ignites all five of the senses. Carolee Schneemann’s groundbreaking performance Meat Joy NYC (1964) reflects patriarchal views on cooking by visualizing men and women in ecstatic ritual with food. Pop Art’s tongue-in-cheek humour will be on display with Vik Muniz’s peanut butter and jelly recreation of Warhol’s Double Mona Lisa, and Ed Ruscha’s deadpan portraits of cans of Spam. This section is complemented by a library of rare cookbooks attendees can browse through.

Following the 2017 Aperture publication of a book by the same name, Feast for the Eyes has since traveled to Foam (Amsterdam), The Photographer’s Gallery (London) and the Hasselblad Foundation (Gothenburg).

COVID Safety Protocols

The Polygon has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. All exhibitions are planned in accordance with the Provincial Health Officer’s most recent order, including capacity restrictions, social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, and sanitization of high-frequency touch points.

Enter to Win

To spread the word about the exhibition, the Polygon has offered up a $150 prize package to a lucky Miss604 reader! The package will include a variety of kitchen supplies, pantry items, and a cookbook. All of the items will be pulled from The Feast Shop, an expansion of the gallery’s retail store (open during the exhibition’s run) guest curated by Eric Pateman from Edible Canada. 

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this blog post (1 entry)
  • Follow the Polygon & Miss604 on Instagram (1 entry)
  • Like and comment on this Facebook post (1 entry)
  • Click below and share the message below on Twitter (1 entry)
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a foodie gift basket (value $150) from @PolygonGallery – Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography opens March 4th http://ow.ly/eHcm50DK6nh” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. UPDATE The winner is Tricia!

Current Contests on Miss604
*All contests are open to residents of Canada only, unless otherwise stated. Contest timelines are published on each individual post along with entry methods. Some contests may only be open to those 19 years of age and older. Winners are announced on the contest blog posts. Contest policy »

71 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. RobThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 12:27pm PST

    As if I haven’t snacked my way through this pandemic enough, this sounds fantastic! Thanks!

  2. Sheila KnowlesThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 12:39pm PST

    What a fun prize! Would love to win this <3
    Following both acct's on Instagram

  3. VeraThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 12:42pm PST

    Love the Polygon Gallery (inside and out) and seeing this exhibit is already on my radar for things to do this spring! Well curated gift shop as well.

  4. Katherine NThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 1:08pm PST

    Such a lovely gallery and interesting exhibit.

  5. BeckyThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 1:17pm PST

    This would be so neat to see – and within walking distance for me!

  6. Amber olakThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 1:21pm PST

    Amazing giveaway! Would love to win

  7. LindaThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 1:34pm PST

    I love Cindy Sherman, so I can’t wait to see this exhibit.

  8. NicoleThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 2:21pm PST

    Can’t wait to check this out! Thanks for the info!

  9. Cheryl GThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 2:29pm PST

    What a fun exhibition! And so close to home. Our days have revolved around food (not much else to do) so it will be a refreshing take. I hope it inspires me to be more creative. Can’t wait!

  10. Lucie BThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 3:57pm PST

    Sounds fantastic! And I already follow both accounts on Instagram as I love the Polygon.

  11. HaroldThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:07pm PST

    Nice looking prize and gallery,

  12. Sherry FraserThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:11pm PST

    What an interesting exhibition & the prize pack sounds amazing. Following both on IG.

  13. Virginia S.Thursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:24pm PST

    Yes please. Thanks

  14. Bonnie Y.Thursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:41pm PST

    Sounds very interesting.

  15. KarenThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:50pm PST

    Sounds like a great exhibition. I’d love to attend.

  16. GregoryThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 8:51pm PST

    Nice prize package! Thanks.

  17. Frank LopezThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 9:32pm PST

    What a super cool prize. Love it

  18. SusanThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 9:39pm PST

    I would love to win this! My son is an artist so I would love to take him to this show too!

  19. chloeThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 9:56pm PST

    Looks so fun 🍴

  20. HelenThursday, February 25th, 2021 — 11:36pm PST

    Great prize

  21. KathleenFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 4:32am PST

    This would be an awesome prize

  22. Tricia BoweringFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 6:45am PST

    The Polygon gallery has lots of interesting shows. Thanks!

  23. KimFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 7:32am PST

    I plan on checking out the exhibit in the next week. Thanks for sharing the info on your blog. A very fitting prize pack.

  24. RachelFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 7:52am PST

    Will take a trip to the Polygon to check it out.

  25. Mandy RushtonFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 8:01am PST

    What a mysterious yet intriguing gift up for grabs here! Just had to put my hat in the ring! 🙌

  26. jane lillian jamesFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 8:22am PST

    Liked and following for this wonderful prize

  27. AlexMFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 8:30am PST

    go Polygon!

  28. EmmaFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 9:58am PST

    As an aspiring food historian, this is totally up my alley! I can’t wait to visit the exhibition (winning the gift basket would be an extra special treat!)

  29. ValerieFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 10:36am PST

    Did all of above! Looking forward to this exhibit.

  30. Justin LeeFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 11:19am PST

    Sounds exciting!

  31. Jax baileyFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 11:34am PST

    This is really cool!

  32. Shirley SFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 12:10pm PST

    Sounds like a great exhibition!

  33. WesFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 12:18pm PST

    Yum!

  34. TaniaFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 12:20pm PST

    What an interesting exhibition!

  35. RinoFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 12:21pm PST

    Sounds like a great exhibit!

  36. wenFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 1:01pm PST

    This will be a great prize!

  37. sunshine hFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 10:05pm PST

    This looks awesome, thank you so much for the chance.

  38. sunshine hFriday, February 26th, 2021 — 10:07pm PST

    Follow both on IG @brighterdayssunshine

  39. KellySaturday, February 27th, 2021 — 11:53am PST

    Would be great prize!

  40. Kathleen BSaturday, February 27th, 2021 — 6:43pm PST

    Sounds yummy – great prize

  41. Kathleen BSaturday, February 27th, 2021 — 6:43pm PST

    Following both on instagram

  42. LorSaturday, February 27th, 2021 — 7:20pm PST

    Sounds wonderful!!!

  43. Jason BSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 1:24am PST

    Fantastic.

  44. TiffSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 6:31am PST

    “…communing, hospitality, and sharing…” – if we can’t do this with others right now, we can at least look at artwork of this happening and hope for the day food can bring us all together again.

  45. Wendy DSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 10:21am PST

    Oh ya, looking forward to this exhibit!

  46. RosalindSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 10:22am PST

    i’ve been meaning to check out the polygon, and this exhibit looks like an amazing reason to go!!

  47. LeannaSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 11:28am PST

    Thanks for connecting me to this great exhibition. I wouldn’t have thought of attending before your write up. Cheers!

  48. ChristineSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 2:07pm PST

    The polygon is a good reason to get on the seabus. Prizes a bonus

  49. Nicole SherlockSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 3:19pm PST

    This would be great!

  50. ShelleySunday, February 28th, 2021 — 5:22pm PST

    Exhibition sounds great, and so does the prize!

  51. Anita StockerSunday, February 28th, 2021 — 8:53pm PST

    Great give away!

  52. MaryMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 7:04am PST

    Great prize pack!!

  53. DouglasMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 7:13am PST

    Sounds good!

  54. CindyMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 10:36am PST

    What a great gift – I would love to win this!!

  55. CindyMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 10:37am PST

    Followed both on IG.

  56. CindyMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 10:37am PST

    Liked on FB.

  57. daneMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 4:27pm PST

    love

  58. Debbie FMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 4:31pm PST

    Wonderful giveaway!

  59. Debbie FMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 4:33pm PST

    Following the Polygon and Miss604 on IG. @missycat11

  60. NicolleMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 8:57pm PST

    I LOVE FOOD AND THE STUFFS THAT HELP ME MAKE IT! 😀

  61. EileenMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 9:54pm PST

    Tweeted! https://twitter.com/604Gal/status/1366627801084821505

  62. EileenMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 9:55pm PST

    Following both accounts on IG

  63. EileenMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 9:55pm PST

    I love food and I love photography!

  64. Tabitha TsaoMonday, March 1st, 2021 — 10:07pm PST

    I would love to win this prize pack!

  65. Carol WTuesday, March 2nd, 2021 — 3:32pm PST

    Looks like a very interesting exhibit.

  66. claireTuesday, March 2nd, 2021 — 9:01pm PST

    I’m planning on visiting the exhibtion very soon with my daughter.

  67. GregWednesday, March 3rd, 2021 — 12:54am PST

    great combination photography and food

  68. Velma SandryWednesday, March 3rd, 2021 — 11:27am PST

    The Polygram Exhibition will be excellent! Food, community and a yummy prize. Perfect combination.

  69. JillFriday, March 5th, 2021 — 7:51pm PST

    Would love to go.

  70. TracySaturday, March 6th, 2021 — 6:50pm PST

    Yes! Will definitely checkout

  71. ShellySaturday, March 6th, 2021 — 8:45pm PST

    Great giveaway! Would love to win this

Also on Miss604.com
«
»