Containers showcase women in the hospitality industry
Art Gallery of Burlington exhibit quotes stories of abuse, tales of joy in restaurant world
I recently stumbled upon an art exhibit about food — and women. The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) is hosting “Jugs and Cans: A Reaping” by Ivy Knight. A freelance writer who cooked in restaurants for 10 years, Knight’s work focuses on food, media and pop culture, and often on women’s experience of the food and hospitality industry. She is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Food & Wine, the Globe & Mail and Vice, interviewing many notables in the world of food, including Anthony Bourdain and René Redzepi.
The exhibit emerged from Knight’s conversations with AGB’s senior curator, Suzanne Carte, about a broader gallery theme called “Vessels” focusing on the idea that the first tool was more likely to be a container than a weapon. This prompted an examination of how vessels speak to an “unrecognized history of women’s ingenuity and labour.” Invited by Carte to create an exhibit, Knight resisted saying she was not an artist, and yet the idea unfolded as she was touring a food-related speaker series.
“I began collecting jugs and cans from chefs I met on the road. It indulged my obsession with label art and the strange beauty in the everyday packaging of the non-perishables that surround us,” Knight said.
Pandemic lockdowns became an exhibit “slow cooker” resulting in a collection of objects with two overlays — Knight’s bright and brilliant crocheted embellishments and the voices of her colleagues.
Ideally, visit the gallery with a companion because the items will generate conversations. It’s been said that art communicates emotion and in this case add memories. For example, if you’re a certain age, the Marshmallow Fluff container may trigger memories of a mother’s resistance to this product — seen on commercials but never in one’s home where you might have made a fluffernutter sandwich. With more than 100 jugs and cans to talk about, you’ll leave knowing your companion better than when you arrived.
The quirky and creative crochet coverings defy description and, before being enrobed, the women
Even without such reflections, the juxtaposition of objects encased in crochet commands attention. Whereas some art is presented as disconnected from the daily experience, crochet is certainly approachable
who gifted them shared reflections — some of which are included in the exhibit booklet. They talked about the vessel itself, or the ingredient, the hospitality industry, or a deeper meditation. Knight said she wanted the quotes to be a mix of voices tempering the stories of abuse and harassment with tales of the beauty and joy that come from the restaurant world.
Samira Mohyeddin, co-owner of Toronto’s Banu restaurant and host of CBC Radio’s podcast “Unforked,” contributed a bottle of dhoog — a beverage from the Middle East. “Just holding this little glass bottle brings me such absurd joy … a piece of home — a home I can’t return to,” she said.
Nostalgia is also on the mind of Kiki Aranita, owner of a Philadelphia restaurant. “I also won’t compromise on using 100 per cent pure unadulterated canned SPAM … In Hawaii, where I grew up, it is considered an essential … It’s there for me when I need to be transported home in one bite.”
Contributing a tin of Danisa Butter Cookies, Yvonne Tsui, a Toronto-based food writer reflects “Over the years, profiling chefs in a maledominant industry, when asked who got them into cooking, it’s always a grandma, a mom, or an aunt. They’re always quoting a matriarchal figure who inspired them to pursue food and then you look into their kitchens … WTF? Where are the women?”
When the women are there, the stories may be of strife. Ottawa chef Liberty Rivers, gifted a can of crushed tomatoes and shared the story of a crude kitchen encounter with the observation that “sexualization of women in the restaurant industry is still very much an issue.”
Stacey Newman, editor-in-chief of SUSTAIN magazine, shared a Habitant Pea Soup can and remarked “There’s nothing so equally inspiring and devastating as interviewing women who work in food service.”
Even without such reflections, the juxtaposition of objects encased in crochet commands attention. Whereas some art is presented as disconnected from the daily experience, crochet is certainly approachable to the point where visitors have had to be reminded to not pick up or manipulate the objects. You may ask yourself if the craft of crochet is art and both Knight and Carte had something to say about this.
Knight notes that the exhibit is conscious of the devaluing of the craftwork of women and yet, as Carte says, the last months remind us of what crafts can do in a crisis. They are a source of respite, energy for recovery, for healing and communication and there is no denying the artistry of Knight’s work.
Ivy Knight the interviewer became the interviewee, but one thing we did not chat about was her 10 years working as a cook. Asked if that was now just a footnote in her story, she declared “Well, if I hadn’t spent 10 years in the kitchen, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. It gave me a lot of bravery that I don’t think I had before I went into the kitchen. It’s because it was like a ‘going into a battle’ decade. It’s a fun, wild place to be but also a scary place to be when you’re the only woman.”
Knight’s wish for gallery visitors? “I hope that this collection of vessels makes you nostalgic, makes you smile, makes you hungry, and makes you just a little bit angry as it opens your eyes to the magic, mayhem, and madness that is the reality of so much restaurant work.”
The exhibit has been extended to Jan. 22. The Gallery is closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 4.