Nafas | نفس

“In Arabic, Nafas is a breath or a spirit. But in the context of cooking, Nafas is much more than that, It’s the energy some people possess that makes their meals not only good but exceptional”

— Reem Kassis

This quote sits at the very beginning of the Nafas Festival brochure, and ironically, it was my breath that was taken away at the sight of this exhibition.

Before it was the Invisible Dog Art Centre, it was abandoned. The 163-year-old building was home to a variety of industrial endeavors, until it was deserted in the mid-1990’s. When Lucien Zayan, the founder and director, opened the art center, he had the space restored to its original 1863 form. This is what greets you as you walk into the Nafas exhibition:

The white walls of the gallery are lined with treasure. Numerous art pieces, all telling a different story. Some speak of politics and society. Others comment on the impact of waste production and pollution. And a few are fascinating forms of artistic exploration about or using food as a medium. In the center of the room are sculptures- each capturing a different idea. This collection of food-centric art is a great example of food’s multitude, a rich concept that has been left unexplored in today’s day and age. There is diversity and inclusivity not only in the art, but in the artists as well. The Nafas Festival features narratives and perspectives from around the world from Palestine to Ukraine to Mexico and more. 

“Nafas is a festival that will invite each visitor to view exceptional artworks, created by exceptional artists, with an exceptional taste. The table becomes a gallery, the meals pieces of art, the dinner an exhibition or a performance, where guests bring their breath, their spirit, their own Nafas. ”

— Lucien Zayan

Every piece is punctuated by the deep thought and care that went into curating the exhibition. The artwork is organized and displayed with the audience in mind, making it more accessible for wheelchair users and children to take in the finer details of illustrations like Heaven is a Town much like Shagaluf by Carles Garcia O’Dowd.

Take a peek at a few of the art pieces that can be found in this exhibition but be warned- this glimpse will leave you wanting more! To maintain an element of the Nafas Festival, the art shown here is presented in the same order as seen in the galley.

Farm Day by Peter Treiber Jr.

Once an artist, always an artist.

Peter was an artist for years before he took over his parent’s farm. It had gotten to the point in which they could no longer manage the land. So, he took on the responsibility and spent years bringing the farm back to full health. It’s only recently that he’s returned to his art- this time using the farm and its creations as his tools and canvas. Meet the artist.

The Plastic Bag Store by Robin Frohardt

This store first popped up in Times Square a little over two years ago and featured foods commonly found in supermarkets. What’s the catch? Everything is made from discarded plastic found on beaches or in gutters and trash cans. Want to know more? Check out The Plastic Bag Store or meet the artist.

The Table by Elena Subach

Created by a Ukranian artist, this project was started before the war with Russia began. It was part of a series meant to celebrate the Ukranian grandmother. Who, when they have family and friends visit, set up a feast much like the one shown here. You can see dishes like smoked herring, pate, and preserved tomatoes. Meet the artist.

Due to the war, the series remains incomplete.

110% by Stephen Morrison

Dogs scarf up their food. And that’s one of the problems in America. When people are told a food is healthy, they end up eating an overabundance of it- to the point in which it becomes unhealthy. Meet the artist.

Seem familiar? A Dash of Awkward first featured Stephen’s work Dog Show #1 earlier this year in our The Dog Days article. You can find it here.

The Watermelon Flag by Khaled Hourani

In 1980, three Palestinian artists, Sliman Mansour, Nabil Anani and Issam Badr, were arrested for hosting an art exhibition with paintings of the Palestinian flag. While they were in custody, the police told them it was forbidden. They asked the officer why. “They told us that painting the Palestinian flag was forbidden, but also the colors were forbidden. So Issam said, ‘What if I were to make a flower of red, green, black and white?’, to which the officer replied angrily, ‘It will be confiscated. Even if you paint a watermelon, it will be confiscated.’” Mansour recounted.

Now the watermelon is seen as a symbol of Palestinian strength and resistance. Meet the artist.

Migrants, Mayra, Picnic across the border, Tecate, Mexico - USA by JR

In 2017 photographer JR created an installation on the border of Mexico and the United States. On the last day, “he organized a giant picnic on both sides of the fence. Kikito (the child whose eyes are featured in the picture), his family and hundreds of guests came from both countries to share a meal at this meeting point. They gathered around the eyes of a dreamer (half on the American side, the other on the Mexican side) to eat the same thing, share the same water, enjoy the same music. For a moment, we forgot the separation wall...”

-Translated and quoted from JR’s website.

Nut Biology by Oliver Jeffers

Need I say more?

Meet the artist.

Book Collection by Lucien Zayan

This curated collection of books is nestled into the corner. This is Lucien’s artwork. When he first started cooking, he didn’t know anything about it, and so he bought books. However, most of the books he found were not recipe books, but instead books on the histories, anthropologies, and stories surrounding food. He chose these books specifically because they held significance not only to him, but to many others as well. Meet the artist.

Fig. 3 by Gabe Benzur

The somewhat tragic love story of the fig and the fig wasp. These two species have evolved to rely on solely each other for survival. In order to pollinate a fig, a female has to crawl into a miniscule hole in the inverted flower. At times, to make maneuvering easier, she may bite of some of her limbs. Once inside, the pollen that she carried in with her pollinates some of the small flowers- whilst she lays her eggs in some of the other ones. The fig sacrifices some of its seed space to serve as a nursery. The mother dies as her eggs grow to maturity. When the female wasps reach maturity, they tunnel out of the fig- gathering pollen as they leave to pass on to other figs waiting to be pollinated.

Without one, the other cannot survive. It is a partnership. Meet the artist.

Family, Friends, Dim Sum, Mahjong by Chang Ya Chin

Chang usually works on very small canvases, and this is in fact the largest piece she has ever done. A lot of her work depicts food conveying everyday scenarios. Meet the artist.

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If you’re in town for one of their special events, I definitely encourage you to stop by. They are interesting, informative, and thought provoking. In their most recent event, they had a fantastic rare apple tasting presentation with William Mullan, the author of Pomme Queen.

This exhibition ends on October 15th, 2022, so be sure to make your way there before it closes! You’re guaranteed to leave feeling well-nourished.

Zayan hopes to make the Nafas Festival a biannual occurrence, with a cookbook of recipes from the features artists and performers. So, make sure to sign up for The Invisible Dog Art Center newsletter, which updates followers on the center’s latest news, events, and upcoming exhibitions.