OUR MANIFESTO

  • we believe that art and food are inextricably linked  and that they matter deeply

  • we believe in the soulful power of the handmade, whether it be bread, a painting or a symphony

  • we believe that the best kitchen smell is onion and garlic frying

  • we believe that there are too many artists who are going hungry due to the complexities of industry and culture, not lack of talent

  • we believe that having conversations about food and art can break stigmas, connect artists to their audience and cultivate community

  • we believe that “australia” always was and always will be Aboriginal Land

  • we believe everyone deserves the dignity of being able to access food

  • we believe that the age of the “Starving Artist” is over

  • we believe the best kitchen sound is the sound of someone who adores you, cooking your favourite meal

  • we believe in Stanley Tucci’s notion that “eating well is not just about what tastes good but about the connections that are made through the food itself”

  • we believe that the future of art lies in community (that’s you!)

  • we believe you’ve probably read enough and are ready for a snack

Chewing on the myth of ‘The Starving Artist’.

Long ago, artist Claire Lefebvre went on a date. After splitting the bill, her date tossed 60c across the table at her with a grin, “Here you go, for the Starving Artist”. It didn’t work out.

That wasn’t the first time she’d heard it, and it wouldn’t be the last, but something really stuck that night when she heard “STARVING ARTIST” (it stuck the way a poppyseed sticks between your two front teeth).

Since then, Claire has been hungrily pursuing and investigating the myth of ‘The Starving Artist’. Her ideas quickly developed into a smorgasbord of exploration and inquiry.

She wanted to know ‘what artists ate’, and how they went about it.

Claire’s initial intention was to create a book of interviews featuring creatives in their spaces, chatting about how they feel about ‘the myth’ and how they nourish themselves.

The pandemic saw a shift in the plan and a focus on the What Artists Eat Podcast. With sound artist and musician Zoltan Fecso onboard, the project has flourished. Since our launch in 2023 the project has evolved beyond podcast interviews to live events, merchandise, a recipe and resource library and a heartfelt online community.

WHO WE ARE

Zoltan Fecso

Zoltan Fecso is a musician and composer based on Wurundjeri Land in Naarm/ Melbourne. His interdisciplinary approach to sound explores experiences of active listening, realised through musical and non-musical contexts, solo and ensemble recordings, radiophonic works and sound installations.

Zoltan's music can be found on Longform Editions (AU), Hush Hush Records (USA) The Slow Music Movement (PT), Shimmering Moods (NL) and Whitelab Records (UK). He has performed and presented work in festivals, venues and galleries in Australia and Europe, including the Melbourne Recital Centre, Jolt Sonic Arts Festival, Jan Herman Ridderbos Gallery in France and FestivALT in Poland. 

 More here

Claire Lefebvre

Claire Lefebvre (she/her) lives and works on Wurundjeri Land in Naarm/Melbourne, australia. She has held numerous solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Regional Victoria and Sydney since 2013, and has been included in group exhibitions in Melbourne, Albany (WA), Regional Victoria and Sydney since 2009. She holds a Masters of Fine Art (with Distinction) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (2014) and a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Painting) from Monash University (2006).

Claire has been a finalist in the St. Kevin’s Art Prize, Hornsby Art Prize, Albany Art Prize, and M Collection Award and in 2014 won the RMIT Alumni Award. She has completed directed and self-directed artist residencies in Barcelona (ESP), Naarm / Melbourne (AUS), Merimbula (AUS) and most recently was Artist-in-Residence and program participant with collaborator Zoltan Fecso for the Winter Wild Festival in Apollo Bay (AUS) in 2021 and 2022.

Claire's practice is influenced by wonderment and a deep reciprocal relationship with the natural world. She works across painting, drawing, sculpture, tattooing, knitting and storytelling.

More here

podcast guests

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podcast guests -