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Loran van de Wier (1994) worked for many years as a chef in the upper echelons of the hospitality industry. Today, food also plays an indispensable role in his artistic practice. Van de Wier explores the performativity that emerges at the intersection of food and art, and the resulting connections. He is particularly fascinated by bacteria and moulds, which play a role not only in food but throughout our everyday lives. His focus lies on the ways in which these organisms sustain their own networks: self-generating and all-encompassing.
The work presented at Prospects, Kaas sculptuur (2026), consists of multiple sculptures. For this project, Van de Wier brought 40 kilogrammes of locally sourced vegetables – including courgettes, apples and beetroots – into contact with cheese cultures. This resulted in vegetable sculptures that carry the distinctly recognizable flavour of cheese. Owing to the mould cultures, the sculptures are not static but alive: changing every day, spreading and transforming.
The performative act of sharing a meal occupies a central place in Van de Wier’s practice. For this reason, he organizes a daily moment in which visitors are invited to taste the cheeses together. Van der Wier explains: ‘Eating together creates a social bond of care and trust: just as bacteria and moulds interact and enter into symbiosis, we too strengthen our interpersonal relationships in the same way, through something as elemental as sharing food.’
Written by Kelly-ann van Steveninck