COOKING IS CARING

COOKING IS CARING is a new program designed by Asia NOW for its 2nd edition on the welcoming and majestic site of Monnaie de Paris. 

For Cooking is Caring, bridge creations between art and cooking will celebrate the daily practices essential to life: eating, being together, building or rebuilding a community, during a meal or a ceremony. These moments of well-being and pleasure of the senses are also an opportunity to share culinary know-how and tableware as

restyled by the artists. These artistic practices show particular attention and care for individuals and the collective in the preparation of dishes, in their presentation and in their sharing. 

For Asia NOW 2023, Cooking is Caring will be embodied by Lei Saito.

Lei Saïto, Chambre aquatique presented by 91.530 Le Marais 

“Chambre Aquatique”, Lei Saïto's installation work, presented by 91.530 Le Marais. More than just a name, it is an ode to the marsh, a farm where hemp cultivation meets art in perfect symbiosis. And it is here that the story of the exhibition takes root, drawing nourishment from the topology and culture of 91.530 Le Marais.

Lei Saïto, renowned for her artistic precision and visual acumen, has crafted a series of unique ceramics for the Monnaie de Paris. Each piece reflects a silent conversation with the architecture and topology of 91.530, echoing terrestrial and cosmic rhythms. Her art is a visual symphony where composition, color palette, and space utilization orchestrate a visual melody.

Lei Saïto, already present at our last year's edition with the exhibitions Amphoreus and Potential Hemp, will be returning this year for an installation presented by 91 530 Le Marais, titled "Chambre aquatique” and for our new program COOKING IS CARING.

The artist has meticulously crafted a series of unique ceramics for the Monnaie de Paris, each engaging with the landscape and rhythm of 91.530. Her work forms a visual symphony, harmonizing composition, color, and space. The centerpiece of the exhibition is "Spiegelicht," a delicate ceramic water puddle on a hemp chip pedestal, reflecting the Monnaie de Paris peristyle in elegant blue-gray hues. Colorful floating spheres add to the enchantment, resembling levitating stars or suspended water droplets. Cups of water invite visitors to engage.

Beyond display, the exhibition offers a sensory journey, evoking abstract meals in Lei Saïto's "Existential Cuisine." The artist plans to create unique dishes blending hemp and water, collaborating with culinary artisans. Visitors can actively participate by indulging in tastings, including macarons, sake, hemp baguettes, hemp butter, and more, promising an unforgettable culinary experience.

Lei Saito's exhibition at the Monnaie de Paris celebrates the harmony of art, nature, and gastronomy. It invites exploration, sensory engagement, and the appreciation of art's presence even in the food we enjoy.

This project received support from Piaget and Floraïku Paris.