As a vegetarian, he appreciates the humble tuber in its many forms (twice-baked, mashed and curried are his favourite); but his adoration goes well beyond the kitchen.
Price is the co-curator of an exhibition at in New York called , which explores the social, cultural and political ideas surrounding this very special vegetable. The exhibit pulls together Asian-inspired work from , and engages with the theme of potatoes in diverse ways: from personal stories and historical propaganda collections right through to parodies of K-pop icons.
This ingredient is ripe for inspiration. Source: Jeffrey Allen Price
Also on display are photos, books, toys, utensils, and pop culture references from films, television and music. There’s even a toy and a photo postcard of a , or Epinephelus tukula, a fish native to Australia. Who knew spuds were such fertile grounds for creativity?
“For a conceptual artist, the potato has a wide range of meaning and associations,” Price tells SBS. “I call it the Potato Art Spectrum. On one end is the dead serious food source: the most nutritious and abundant vegetable in the world. On the other end is the funny, humorous side of the potato: always a go-to joke, used as an insult to call somebody lazy ('couch potato') or dumb ('potato head'). And in between is the enormous variety of ways the potato intersects with and influences human endeavours.”
On one end is the dead serious food source: the most nutritious and abundant vegetable in the world. On the other end is the funny, humorous side of the potato: always a go-to joke, used as an insult to call somebody lazy ('couch potato') or dumb ('potato head').
And that’s not all potatoes are good for. Price points out that potatoes have been used historically for cosmetic products there’s a section devoted to South Korean potato beauty in the exhibition), turned into vodka and other alcohols, and even used to create electricity. The potato could well be the most influential vegetable in the world – and this is the art exhibition that confirms it.
Price’s affinity with the potato runs deep. In his thesis paper, , he coined the term potatoism to describe the intersection between the vegetable and human culture. “For me, potatoes are a humorous life philosophy, but it’s a good term for describing potato-themed art,” he says.
on display have been donated by the artist himself, who owns a . They form part of his – his wide-ranging selection even includes potato music.
“The collection started organically with a potato recipe book,” Price says. “Then it became interesting to find as many different objects with a potato theme that intersected with human activity. Do a search for 'potato in books' on Amazon and you will get more than 10,000 hits.”
Potatoism’s exhibiting artists were selected by Price and co-curator , director of cultural programs at the Charles B. Wang Center. The featured talent included , whose paintings of potatoes meditate on existence, creation and destruction; Anh Nguyen, a teacher and a seamstress crafting traditional Vietnamese garments ; and , who turned up to the exhibition in a garment fashioned from potato-chip packets and contributed artworks that show members of K-pop group being consumed by potato-shaped figures.
Price also points to a collection of propaganda posters - Soviet, Chinese and Vietnamese arts from his Think Potato Collection, complemented by North Korean posters loaned to the exhibition by Jin - as a standout.
N.Flying's Yoo Hwe Seung does battle with a different kind of Mr Potatohead in Susie Kelly's work for the show. Source: Susie Kelly
“The Soviet posters are the oldest works in the show, and the grouping of all of them set the stage for the development of Potatoism in the East,” he explains. “The potato in these countries was once a symbol of poverty and hardship. We see the wide variety of other meanings and connotation in the other works by contemporary artists.”
If everything goes to plan, Price's tater obsession will live on long after the artefacts come down from the walls. He is currently filming , a multi-part video art project, and he’s just started a . A book is in the works, too.
“I will continue to seek out and unite potato enthusiasts to join the cult of potato,” he says.
The cult of potato had us at tater tots.
Potasia: Potatoism in the East is at the Stony Brook University, until June 15.
Can’t make it to New York? Keep up with Jeffrey Allen Price on , and check out our collection of .
