Coquette Cornucopia
Call-out to Artists:
This exhibition invites artists and culinary creators to explore the profound connections between food, rituals, and sculpture in contemporary art. Centered on the symbolism and themes of celebratory gatherings, tablescapes, and “breaking bread,” the show examines how objects and rituals surrounding food embody cultural memory, tradition, and creativity.
Artists are encouraged to challenge boundaries between function and form, submitting works that reflect the textures, shapes, and gestures tied to communal dining & gatherings. From sculptural tableware that merges practicality with artistry to non-functional art works evoking the essence of celebration, this exhibition will celebrate the tactile and symbolic aspects of food and art. Complementing the selected artworks, curated culinary installations and ceremonies will be selected and immerse audiences in sensory experiences, fostering dialogue between the visual and the edible.
By blending art and ritual, the exhibition seeks to inspire meaningful connections, honouring the enduring role of food as both sustenance and a vessel for storytelling. Selected artworks and culinary installations will be curated to create a warm welcoming atmosphere involving various tablescapes and adjacently themed displays.
I’ve Got No One to Invite to Dinner by Lola Bennett (2023/2024) photo credits: Gabriella Tiğoğlu
I’ve Got No One to Invite to Dinner by Lola Bennett (2023/2024) photo credits: Gabriella Tiğoğlu
I’ve Got No One to Invite to Dinner by Lola Bennett (2023/2024) photo credits: Gabriella Tiğoğlu
Curated by Lola Bennett
Curator Lola Bennett, photo by Jonathan Cochrane
Lola Bennett is a multidisciplinary artist, primarily working in ceramics & textiles.
Bennett is a 2023 Bath Spa University Creative Arts Practice graduate, received the Spike Island Bath Spa Fellowship 2023/2024 and is currently a resident at Emerge Studios in Bath. Her practice is rooted in themes of nostalgia, pain, isolation and loss.
Bennett aims to evoke ideas that explore perceptions of ‘female artwork’; including: hierarchies in art, craft and female labour. Using heritage-based female crafts, in particular quilting and needlepoint, to deconstruct preconceived notions and narratives, of not only these processes, but the dark underbelly of domestic and everyday life.
Bennett’s background in textiles and reflection on her rural American upbringing has produced an illustrative style that combines early 2000s tattoo imagery, quilt and embroidery motifs, suggestions of country life and kitsch naïveté. This realm of references and imagery adorn her work as a form of storytelling and nostalgic-comfort.
Instagram: @Lola_is_out_of_fashion
To submit your work: please email the Curator coquette@fringeartsbath.co.uk including:
NB: please include the exhibition / project name in the email title.
max 200 words about your work and how it fits the call-out (written, audio file, video or another way to suit you).
some images of the work, or links to video / performance work (or existing work if it hasn’t been made yet).
any relevant links, if you have them (though it’s not a requirement and Curators might not have the capacity to visit them all).
of course please include any questions you have.
you might not hear back from Curators until after the deadline, thank you for your patience.
Fringe Arts Bath Festival will take place 23 May to 7 June 2025
Submission deadline: Friday 11th April 2025 at 23h59 GMT
Media accepted: Food & beverage design/curation/ceremonies/performance, sculpture/3D works and any other medium with work appropriately relating to theme.
Free submission. All are welcome to apply, of any age, status, and from anywhere in the world.
If selected, we ask Artists for a £22 contribution (like crowdfunding) and/or to give some of their time, as we are all volunteers. Please read our FAQs here to find out more.
See all 20 projects open to submissions on our home page: fringeartsbath.co.uk