Will Work for Food - Really

This arrived in my inbox today -and being a fan of the Arts and an even bigger fan of food, I thought I'd share this....

"New York based husband and wife artist team are offering a painting in exchange for an invitation to a family dinner"

Alina and Jeff Bliumis are placing a call for participation from Bronx residents starting next month (April 2012). The artists are hoping for families to respond so they can visit as many homes as possible during April and May 2012. No agenda and it is more of an informal gathering without a "we will talk about this and that" kind of atmosphere.


The artists will create a painting for each occasion. Each painting will be a still life with fruits and "Thank You for Your Dinner!" written in the middle. At the end of each dinner all participants will be seated on a family couch with the painting hung above the couch and a family portrait will be taken by a photographer. The painting will then stay with the family and documentation will be on display at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, April 4 - June 4, 2012. The exhibition will be a show in progress, starting with the call for participation flyer and as dinners happen the resulting photographs will be added to the show.

The artists are basing their project on a simple social exchange: providing a product/painting and in return receiving dinner and company/social interaction. Through this exchange, the artists initiate an unlikely meeting point and a set of conversations, as well as eliminate the numerous steps separating the artist and the audience, artwork and its owner. A Painting for a Family Dinner / Bronx, NY creates a situation in which both initiator and receiver are equal and active participants in the creation of the artwork.


A Painting for a Family Dinner / Bronx, NY is produced by No Longer Empty in connection with This Side of Paradise  exhibition at Andrew Freedman Home, 1125 Grand Concourse, Bronx NY, April 4 - June 4, 2012.


This Side of Paradise references the past and reconnects the vision of Andrew Freedman to today's Bronx and its realities.

Alina and Jeff Bliumis's practice explores cultural standards, foreignness and national identity through sculptural installations, often placed in communal spaces, which incorporate public dialogue.


A Painting for a Family Dinner / Bronx, NY will be on view at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, NY. April 4- June 4, 2012/ 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th St, Bronx, New York 10456 

More info: http://www.bliumis.com/