A new exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) will explore the connections between art and cuisine from ancient times to the present.
On Sunday, Sept. 22, the DIA will open The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, featuring over 200 works from the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
The exhibit combines a multi-sensory experience with a range of historical objects related to food preparation, serving, and dining. The show is organized into themes such as communal dining, coffee culture, and eating for health.
As metro Detroit is home to a large concentration of Arab Americans and other communities from the Middle East and Asia, this exhibition is especially relevant in Michigan, celebrating the history of food cultures from these regions.
Originally organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the exhibition includes works from 30 public and private collections across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Sixteen of the works on view are from the DIA’s collection.
“With objects representing artistic and cultural traditions across a broad geographical expanse and more than 1,500 years of history, The Art of Dining reflects the diversity of the Islamic world,” Katherine Kasdorf, DIA Associate Curator of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World, said in a press release. “We can all relate to the practices of eating, drinking, and sharing a meal with friends and family, and this exhibition invites visitors to reflect upon the personal and cultural connections we make through food.”
Additionally, the exhibit includes tableware for eating and drinking, paintings depicting scenes of feasting and food preparation, historical cookbooks with recipes still used today, musical instruments played for entertainment during meals, garments worn for special occasions such as banquets, and scent boxes filled with the aromas of rosewater, orange blossom, coffee, and cardamom.
A section focused on the sufra — a cloth or low table on which food is served — explores the dining experience, with an interactive sufra offering visitors a digitally presented six-course meal based on historical recipes from the Islamic world. The recipes, adapted by chef Najmieh Batmanglij, will be available via QR code.
Complementing the historical items is a contemporary multimedia installation by Iraqi-born artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji titled A Thread of Light Between My Mother’s Fingers and Heaven. Rooted in the artist’s memories of his mother, her homemade bread, and family meals in Baghdad, the work includes large-scale animation, drawings, and photographs.
“We are excited to break bread with everyone and experience the fascinating and delicious food culture of the Islamic world—an opportunity to relish the cultural wealth of our diverse communities which enrich our region every day,” DIA director Salvador Salort-Pons said. “Through this exceptional presentation, the DIA celebrates the art of dining and its power to bring people together.”
The exhibition, on view through Jan. 5, 2025, will kick off with a live conversation between Alfraji and Arab American National Museum Director Diana Abouali on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m.
