This Art Exhibit Is Made of Chocolate (and You Can Eat It)
Creativity comes in many forms — whether it’s trying out the best DIY kit for your zodiac sign, creating a happy place in your home, or learning the art of photo styling. But we were blown away when we discovered this new kind of art: an exhibit you can eat. (Yes, you read that right.) Kristiane Kegelmann, a trained pastry artist and innovative sculptor, wants people to fully enjoy her latest installation by eating it.
Her glorious exhibit called “Bittersweet” opened in Berlin last month. Kegelmann, who funded the project via Kickstarter, creates her edible art by mixing fine chocolate with veggies, fresh fruits, seeds, and nuts. Then, she uses the mixture to sculpt her beautiful designs.
She recently shared her creative process with Slow Words: “After I have found the perfect taste of the project I go into design. Each conception involves a new challenge. I work with statics and architectural constructions, simple design, matching color combinations, and structures of the surfaces. The smell of it usually is quite strong and tasty. So it’s a double surprise and pleasure either for the eyes and the senses.”
We love how Kegelmann talks about what compelled her to create, as if gorgeous work that’s a total treat for the eyes and mouth isn’t enough. She wants people to remember that artwork doesn’t always need to be admired or appreciated from a distance and that it’s important to get up close and personal with the art. Some visitors hesitate before eating pieces of the edible sculptures, but when they do, they “really experience it on a different level,” Kegelmann tells Time. So cool!
People are such an important part of Kegelmann’s creative process. She tells Slow Words, “I create installations that keep changing even when I have finished my work process on the sculpture or on the installation. And they change through the recipients. Do we have to consume edible pieces the same way? Do they always have to look the same? The installations take the guests in.”
Who doesn’t want to spend an afternoon staring at art that both looks and tastes incredible? Especially when we’re helping the artist fulfill her artistic vision. Kegelmann believes that visitors who eat her artwork are helping her finish “transient objects” by partaking in the destruction. Well, if destruction means taste testing something as beautiful as her handmade, jewel-shaped chocolates, count us in!
Would you feel comfortable eating a beautiful art exhibit? Tell us how you feel about it on Twitter @BritandCo!
(h/t TIME)