‘Breast Stupa Cookery the world turns upside down’ By Pinaree Sanpitak − Nova Contemporary

Nova Contemporary

Oct 10 - Nov 21, 2020

^{All images courtesy of Nova Contemporary}

“Some dreams tremble, feel unstable. Turning over to turn over.
And waking up to real uncertainties.”
- Pinaree Sanpitak

For the first time in an exhibition format, Breast Stupa Cookery: the world turns upside down, by Pinaree Sanpitak - one of Thailand’s most prominent female artists - bridges the social collective with gastronomy and art. The exhibition transforms Nova Contemporary into a café/eatery, challenging the present social norm. In the midst of today’s climate, where mass gatherings of people have become a liability, this exhibition shines a light on the depths of food both as a medium of art, as well as a connective thread for human relationships. In these distressing times of social distancing, where the virtual world has become the prime meeting place of lonely souls, we welcome you to a real vis-à-vis over a meal. Sharing food and conversations, surrounded by fine cuisines and beverages, among a visual setting into the world of Breast Stupa Cookery. 

Collaboration lies at the core of Breast Stupa Cookery, through the exchange and sharing of ideas, culminating in unexpecting results each time this project occurs. Chefs, pâtissiers, confectioners, bartenders, as well as ceramic and glass artists who all flaunt their respective masteries, create a shared experience with the audience and diners.

This ongoing project since 2005 has proven to be unpredictable, at times jovial, at times emotional, at times political. This time the world turns upside down, the act of gathering may be a stand against the new normal of current society, but it could also be a challenge to the very nature of man itself.

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Breast Stupa Cookery Dinners:

Breast Stupa Cookery Dinners by Chefs Napol ‘Joe’ Jantraget and Saki Hoshino from the Michelin starred 80/20will offer their 7-course menu based on the concept of the woman, femininity and breasts, with wine paring. 

October 17, October 30, November 7
18.00 and 20.00 - 15 person per time slot
THB 4,000 per person  - Reservation required

Breast Stupa Cookery Cafe:

Selected confectionery specially created by Thai and Japanese pâtissier will be for sale to eat on the premises or takeaway, including, cookies arranged to resemble one of Pinaree’s paintings by Katayama Chiffon, exclusive ice cream flavors - such as ‘Yawning Mango’, ‘Booing Lime’, and ‘Fish-sauce Caramel’ - from YORA, ‘Breast-shaped Stupa’ popsicle in various flavors and shades of black from Chimp Tim, three varieties of French-style desserts from Mad Sugar, fragrant brown butter ‘Financier’  from SOI S:AM, and finally some snacks created by Tokyo Hot, a group of rising young artists passionate about cooking and experimenting. Accompanying beverages created from famous cafe One Ounce For Onion will be served to match each dish.    

Tuesday to Saturday between 11.00 – 19.00. 
from 14 October – 21 November 2020  

Ceramic artists:
All food and drinks will be served on the ceramic plates and bowls designed and created especially for this event by Aor Sutthiprapha, Don Moo Din, InClay, Mo Jirachaisakul and Pim Sudhikam. 

Additionally, these ceramic artists’ works inspired by Breast Stupa Cookery will be displayed on the mezzanine floor.

This exhibition is supported by DURIFLEX and SOI SA:M

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About Breast Stupa Cookery:

Established in 2005 by Pinaree Sanpitak, Breast Stupa Cookery is a 15-year and ongoing collaborative art project that connects the subtexts of the ‘Breast-Shaped Stupa’ - considered to be Pinaree’s signature work - with the culinary arts. From an embodiment of the sensual and the sacred, to breast-shaped cooking molds, chocolate trays and cookie cutters, made from cast aluminum, glazed stoneware, glass, and food-grade plastic, ready for chefs professional and amateur alike to conjure any number of dishes. Some of these dishes have been offered at many temporary events such as art opening buffets, dinners, a wedding, a tea ceremony, a market, to name a few, both locally and internationally. The latest event was at “The Black and The Red House”, located in the historical village of Kasashima on Honjima island during the 2019 Seitouchi Triennale, in collaboration with Chef Ramses Koichiro Yanagida and Chef Noom, Weerawat Triyasenawat of Samuay and Sons from Udorn Thani. For more information about the project, please see attached documents.

Associated Exhibition:
Pinaree Sanpitak will also be hosting an exhibition titled House Calls at 100 Ton Son Foundation, our neighbouring art venue, from the 10th October 2020 to 4th April 2021. For more information about House Calls : www.100tonsonfoundation.org 

About the artist:

Pinaree Sanpitak (B. 1961, Bangkok, Thailand) is a prominent artist of this time that was part of the first generation of Thai Contemporary Art. In the late 1980s, her artistic practice began and orbited around the celebration of the female body as a vessel of perception and experience, exploring the vessel and the mound as a basic and primal form. Her work involves a recurring motif of the female breast, resembling works of architecture dedicated to Buddhism known as stupas and ever so often an offering bowl. Various approaches of collage, drawing, printmaking, painting, and sculpture are explored through Sanpitak’s sensorial inquiries, revealing a keen sensitivity towards materials and through a variety of media: textiles, glass, ceramics and metals as such.

Over the past thirty years, Sanpitak has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Thailand and internationally. Her solo exhibitions were presented at Singapore Tyler Print Institute and Yavuz Gallery, Singapore (2019),The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, New York, USA (2017), Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA (2015), Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney, Australia (2014), and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA (2013). She has participated in various group exhibitions including at the Setouchi Triennale (2019), National Gallery Singapore (2017), Jakarta Biennale (2017),  Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art, France (2015), The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA (2015), and The 2^nd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Fukuoka, Japan (2002). She is the 2018 resident artist at STPI-Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore. Sanpitak lives and works in Bangkok.