Samsung, Rele Gallery partner for unique exhibition on art, food

Samsung Electronics West Africa and contemporary art space, Rele Gallery have come together to present what is regarded as an unprec­edented culinary art and pho­tography exhibition as well as online competition, with the theme: ‘What’s Cooking?’

The exhibition, which fea­tured the works of two prom­inent photographers, Kelechi Amadi-Obi and Ade Asiko Okelarin, who drew inspira­tion from Nigerian cuisine created by three leading chefs, Tiyan Alile, Ozoz Sokoh (Kitchen Butterfly) and Dun­ni Obata (Dooney’s Kitchen) as far as the show was con­cerned. Part of the initiative is that the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Smartphone was used to capture all the photographs showcased at the exhibition.

The exhibition was pre­ceded by an online culinary art contest which attracted over 300 entries from across the country and produced three winners who were an­nounced at a private viewing event to mark the beginning of the four-week exhibition at the gallery in Lagos. The Food Art competition engaged tal­ented Nigerians from all over the country trying their hands at culinary artistry by creating an original work of art using real food in line with the ex­hibition theme.

At the event, which took place at Rele Gallery, Onikan, Lagos, Paul Lee, managing di­rector of Samsung Electron­ics West Africa said: “Tech­nology and art have had an unfamiliar relationship over the years with many people wondering what the nature of this relationship is. Art and technology derive strength and inspiration from one another. Hosting a competi­tion among chefs is logical as cooking is also a form of art. With this novelty, Samsung is rebooting the relationship between art and technology by being a part of exhibitions and initiatives that will fos­ter new collaborations across both disciplines and indus­tries.”

According to him, what drives art and technology are similar and such a con­vergence of the two worlds, deemed as parallel by many but nothing as such upon a more careful consideration, is not just ideal but impera­tive once in a while.