Celebrating food in art, GOMA's Harvest brings 150 works from the gallery's collection together with dramatic, large scale installations and quirky modern performance art to stimulate a debate on food.
There are images that make your mouth water and others that just confuse, but it's all about food, food products, land cultivation, systems of distribution and more.
A sneak preview of the exhibition, which opens on June 28 and continues until September 21, revealed just a few of the gems you'll see including those huge bulls and a curious work that looks like children's playing blocks. Keeping small ones from playing with those is going to be a challenge for the gallery's security staff.
Perhaps the most curious of all is the table and chairs set for lunch. Twice a week random gallery visitors to Harvest will be invited to be part of art in Rirkit Tiravanija's Untitled (lunchbox) 1998. You'll get to eat lunch at the social sculpture where a typical takeaway Thai businessperson's lunch, purchased from Thai Wi Rat in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, is served.
Harvest is also an opportunity to revisit some of the most famous films on food including The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Babette's Feast and Supersize Me.
The gallery shop is always a highlight of any of my exhibition visits and with this one themed on food I expect to be very excited. I am always amazed by the selection of objects and can't resist walking out with a full shopping bag. The highlight this exhibition is Harvest the book, a collection of themed essays and illustrated recipes of culinary masterpieces from some of the best local, national and international chefs including GOMA's Executive Chef, Josue Lopez, Shannon Bennett (Vue De Monde), Alejandro Cancino (Urbane), Brenda Fawdon (Mondo Organics), Peter Gilmore (Quay), Ryan Squires (Esquire), James Viles (Biota), Ben Williamson (Gerard's Bistro) and Rene Redzepi (Noma).
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| Josue Lopez and Harvest the book. |
The GOMA Cafe Bistro will have a lunch special inspired by Harvest of roasted spatchcock, puffed corn and toasted grains with blueberry gel. It comes with a glass of wine for $20. The recipe is in the Harvest book.
GOMA Restaurant will be open throughout July on Friday nights with a menu inspired by the exhibition. The restaurant's normal hours are lunch time Wednesday to Sunday.
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| House churned butter and house made bread |
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| Roasted Thangool squab, blueberries, toasted sprouts and grains. |
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| Moreton Bay bug poached in GOMA churned butter, saffron broth, seaweed, broccoli. |
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| Seared Murray cod, potato emulsion, fresh peas, salted lemon myrtle, malt vinegar. |
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| Living risotto of sprouted beans and legumes, broad bean , garden flowers, verjuice. |
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| Wattle custard, Daintree chocolate paint, Daintree vanilla curd. |
There are lots of other gems I would like to try on this menu including the local hinterland snails, the seared emu loin with native spiced black pudding, and the Magnum Opus Valrhona chocolate dessert - yes please.
Bottom line: Entrees are priced between $16 to $24, mains around $32, and dessert around $15.
Best tip: Great opportunity to experience GOMA Restaurant at night during Harvest - a foodies feast.
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was a guest of GOMA.