Olympia's 'CAKE' Indulges in the Sweeter Side of Life
Over 30 artists come together for an edible, one-night-only exhibition.
Summary
- Last month, Olympia in New York hosted CAKE, a one-night-only show of edible works.
- Part fundraiser, exhibition and community event, attendees were invited to indulge in the spread of works, ranging from traditional tears of yellow cakes, massive sculptural displays, vibrant mounds of meringue and frosting-printed poems.
As evenings grow balmier, and New York’s art scene eases into its seasonal slowdown, a crowd spills out onto the streets outside of Olympia, fork and plate in-hand, for a CAKE, a special one-night-only exhibition of edible artworks. Taking cues from Marie Antoinette’s infamous – if apocryphal – quip, “Let them eat cake,” the exhibition served up confectionery pieces by over 30 fine artists, transforming the two-floored Lower East Side space into a pop-up dessert salon.
While the idea for the show began as, in the gallery’s words, “a satirical response to an increasingly sour global sociopolitical landscape,” what emerged was a tender meditation on pleasure, ephemerality and food’s unifying power. A playful act of rebellion against the traditional “look don’t touch” gallery model, CAKE invited viewers to break the rules by, literally, breaking bread.
Be it through color, texture, technique or concept, each dessert expands on its artist’s broader practice in frosted poetry, exploring topics like anti-commodification, labor and decay. Works on view ranged from tongue-in-cheek delights, like Heather Benjamin’s vibrant “Cockroach Cupcakes” and Robin F. Williams’ cartoonish “Pie in the Face,” to pieces with a more “real or cake” sculptural edge — Leah Dixon’s towering “Bavarian Khalifa,” a mid-sprint track scene from Eli Hill and Stephanie Temma Hier’s “Cake Seafood Platter.” Standout additions also include Naomi Nakazato’s foamy yuzu crater and Madeline Bach’s “Orchid Summit II.”
Since its founding in 2020, the gallery, helmed by Ali Rossi, has led with its penchant for the subversive and defiant. On this summer night, Olympia brought this mission to new depths, with intimacy, connection and community abound: the unspoken decision to a keep centerpiece untouched, the many hands that passed through the works before you and the use of food as an unexpected art medium – one that alters you in its act.
Read on for the full list of featured artists.
Alicia Adamerovich
Yura Adams
Cassandra Mayela Allen
Madeline Bach
Hannah Beerman
Heather Benjamin
Wells Chandler
Fung Cheung
Magnet Curry
Emily Davidson
Leah Dixon
Tamara Gonzales
Aisling Hamrogue
Colleen Herman
Stephanie Temma Hier
Eli Hill
Erin Lee Jones
Melissa Joseph
Hein Koh
Lizzy Lunday
Lee Maxey
Cristina de Miguel
Nicole Mourino
Naomi Nakazato
Sarah Nsikak
Keisha Prioleau-Martin
Erika Ranee
Adrianne Rubenstein
Alex Schmidt
Pauline Shaw
Jessica Stoller
Robin F. Williams
Mie Yim.
