You Are What You Eat

Mark Menjivar is an artist/photographer whose acclaimed exhibition "You Are What You Eat" is a collection of photographs taken inside random people's refrigerators. I heard about him on NPR yesterday, and yes, I do consider his work art. The refrigerators he photographs are as diverse as the people using them-- some walled with styrofoam takeout boxes and others alive with organic produce. The photos also have inciteful captions about the refrigerators' owners. For example, a freezer piled with Ziploc baggies of meat explains, "12 point buck shot on family property." The work invites viewers to contemplate the personalities and lifestyles of those consuming the leafy greens, containers of leftover chili, and half-empty Jose Cuervo. Peering at a photographed fridge containing several cases of beer, a plate of leftovers, milk, and O.J., I can actually smell, see, and taste the death metal drummer's erratic lifestyle. Amazingly, an everyday household object, a refrigerator, can be so intimate, so provocative, so honest.

Menjivar's work also inspired me to photograph my own refrigerator.
                                                          

         

College Undergraduate Students | Chapel Hill, N.C. | 2-person Dorm Room | Cranberry Juice, Half and Half, Empty Water Pitcher, Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, Tub of Ice, Nine Ice Pops

Prints are available for $50.00