Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids

Catalan designer Martí Guixé, acclaimed as the ‘father of food design’, will present his first major Australian exhibition Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids at NGV International from 11 June 2016. 

Guixé, who is renowned for his playful and experimental approach to food and its design, has previously developed concepts including Pharma-Food, which allows people to breathe in molecules of vaporised food; lickable flavoured stamps; and a lollipop with an orange seed inside, designed to be planted after eating to encourage spontaneous reforestation. 

In a colourful, custom-designed kitchen surrounded by dining booths, Fake Food Park is a vibrant and interactive, large-scale exhibition developed especially for children and families to inspire a rethinking of the ways we eat and our attitudes to familiar foods. Through a hands-on activity and digital design challenges, visitors will be asked to sprout new ideas for food concepts and flavours, and create their very own ‘Fake Food Park’ menu.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘We are delighted to bring the ground-breaking ideas of Martí Guixé to the NGV Kids exhibition space. Guixé is a pioneer in his field; designing, innovating and challenging notions of how we eat in often whimsical and surprising ways.

‘Fake Food Park will ask budding young designers to think about the future of food and reconsider familiar food items, from inventing snacks which can be eaten underwater to drawing novel combinations of everyday ingredients. 

At the centre of the exhibition will be a kitchen space where younger visitors can construct a ‘meal’ using a collection of blocks, fabric and other materials, which is then photographed and magically transformed into a composite image of real food items. The exhibition space will also feature Guixé’s drawings, illustrations and fruit-and-vegetable wallpaper.

Guixé is recognised for his unique approach to commercial products, interiors and food design. He is especially recognised for his work in the field of food design, an industry that approaches food and eating from a design viewpoint to develop new innovations such as modern airline meals or 3-D printed food. 

Guixé’s work has been shown at MoMA, Centre Georges Pompidou, Design Museum London and the National Art Center Tokyo. He is also well-known for designing the interiors of Camper footwear stores.

In 2009 he constructed a banquet in New York City with micro-snacks and hand-drawn instructions prompting visitors to interact with strangers, and in 2007 he installed The Candy Restaurant in Tokyo, which turned the act of eating candy into a fine dining experience.

Fake Food Park is accompanied by a range of public programs including a special Meet the Designer event on Saturday 11 June, especially for teenagers aged 13-17, which will see Guixé discuss his pioneering work in food and product design. Bookings required, visit ngv.vic.gov.au.

Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids will be on display at NGV International from 11 June – 11 September 2016. Open daily, 10am–5pm. Free entry.