Food and art are being blended together this week at St Sebastian Restaurant.
A dining event titled A Retrospective involves an exhibition of 15 pieces by local sculptor Sean Crawford in conjunction with a 10-course dinner.
Each course will represent a different work by Crawford, and play on the themes the artist explores in his sculptures.
Crawford, who has been based in Wairarapa since 2003, said the inspiration for the art and cuisine mashup came from a similar event in Sydney.
“This gallery did artist dinners, where they would get a chef to come in and they’d set up the tables and theme the food around the artwork.,” he said.
“It’s about finding the connection of creativity and recognising the links between food and art.”
The art installations reflect a “Wairarapa journey” of what Crawford described as past reflection and arrival into the present, and he noted the parallels between his art and the menu that will be based on it.
“We’re both like storytellers, the language of food is narrative driven and there’s a progression of how the dish develops and the customer experience,” he said.
Restaurant owner and chef Caleb Kloeg said it was exciting for him and the team when Sean initially approached them with the idea.
“It’s an exciting challenge to use an artwork for each course,” he said.
“Art is in the eye of the beholder – it’s a cool process to explore the themes and motifs behind the pieces and translate that to the plate.”
Kloeg, who has a background in interior design, said the connection between the plate and the visual was a way to showcase the variety of talent in Wairarapa.
“Generally our menus have some sort of theme, integrating foraged ingredients and working seasonally,” he said.
“We like to utilise what we have around us, including artists and our talented team.”
Those attending on 26th April should expect an intimate evening at the dinner table, “elbow to elbow with the art and food creatives”.
Tickets are available online, while Crawford’s work will remain exhibited in St Sebastians Restaurant for about six weeks.
