Polish-born and Brooklyn based artist Maciek Jasik aims, in this series, to reintroduce the mystical, invisible qualities to fruits and vegetables that have been lost amidst the clamor of nutritional statistics.
Maciek Jasik sayed: “the modern world has separated us from the origins and uses of fruits and vegetables; we know them only for the flavors and textures they provide. Until only very recently, each held its own mystique, mythology, symbolism and connection to the culture and afterlife.”
“Not only were the blueberry, tomato, squash, papaya, potato, and pineapple only available in the Americas until Columbus arrived in 1492, most of what we eat today was cultivated over thousands of years, from small, bitter origins, like the eggplant, or afterthoughts, like the wild cabbage that became cauliflower.”
“Mark Twain famously said “the peach began as a bitter almond,” as it evolved from a pit with minimal flesh over 3,000 years of domestication in China into a sweet, juicy symbol of long life and divine powers. Local Chinese magistrates would hang peach wood branches on their doors to fend off evil spirits.”
“Each offers its own indelible powers beyond our narrow habits of thought.”
Images courtesy of Maciek Jasik
Discover: maciekjasik.com
