Mange à Trois Chef Wheeler del Torro poses the question "Is food art?" in his new series Mange à Trois. In this unconventional event, chef del Torro examines pieces from three artists and shares his interpretations of their works through his chosen medium: food. Accessing art through the palate encourages a fresh perspective and opens it to both new and seasoned audiences.
Series 1: New York
At once buoyant and creative, furious and raw, New York of the 1980s was the artist's canvas. Graffiti artists covered its walls while others incorporated the street's gritty reality into their art. The quest for innovation drew from all traditions, relentlessly questioning, melding and adapting.
The works of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente exemplify the spirit of the time. In their collaborative works, Warhol provided the foundation rooted in the collective visual memory while Basquiat added a burst of energy in aggressive forms and overwhelming patterns. Clemente in turn employed bright colors as well as sinister tones, overlapping and merging with the edges of the canvas.
Through the senses of taste, smell, and touch, del Torro interprets and creates art. Like Basquiat, del Torro uses the flavors of the street as modes of expression. This innovative lecture and food experience guides participants through solo and collaborative works of art from Warhol, Basquiat and Clemente while treating them to del Torro's culinary interpretations of their artistic aesthetic.