Rice & Beans
Rice & Beans is a itinerant pop-up eatery that is activated within art events on a PWYC or barter basis.The art gallery, stripped of its walls and removed from its traditional displaying function, becomes an Art space- an environment that allows experimentation and improvisation. Concepts that challenge business and market logics can be carried out with a critical andengaging lens.
Rice & Beans was born from the idea to eradicate boring and unhealthy foods at art events, by providing exciting and wholesome food. Eventually this concept developed into something political, where food is the departure point for suggesting alternative ways to experience art and food. #riceandbeans can be seen as a lab to test recipes, menus and ingredients that are sometimes neglected in mainstream local food culture.
This “real life” performance addresses food insecurity in the arts community and demystifies the idea of the "starving artist". Even though precarious financial conditions among artists are common, with many living below the poverty line, this is often overlooked or romanticized as part of the bohemian experience of being an artist. Food cooked for and by artists is a hands-on response to these conditions, bringing real life problem-solving skills into the art space.
Rice & Beans aims to create dialogue about how we perceive -and value- food, diversify gallery audiences, feed people outside of traditional spaces for food consumption, and repurpose the white cube for a convivial experience.
No more raw carrots and dip!