Yaser Safi Kitchen Project

I began contemplating the kitchen as a place of work and creation while preparing a Levantine dish with my mother over
Skype. Her detailed descriptions of the food's transformation, focusing on color and texture, inspired me. As I documented the
recipe, I also sketched and reminisced about shared meals with friends and family. This notebook became the foundation for
my artwork, exploring the interplay between nature (ingredients) and labor (cooking tools). I deconstructed the sensory
aspects of cooking, breaking hierarchy and aligning everything in the kitchen.
Food's representation in art, from the 16th-century still life to the critiques of consumerism, highlights its significance. Eating
together can counteract urban isolation but also reflects class distinctions in art history. Additionally, the kitchen and
food-making are historically associated with domestic and reproductive labor. This notion, undervalues labor; like the hard
work my mother has dedicated her life to.