Club Sandwich Possibly 2003 - 2022

Editor: Here we have Sharon Core’s "Club Sandwich," likely created between 2003 and 2022, a color photograph that looks almost staged, like an advertisement. There's something unsettlingly perfect about the triangles of sandwiches. What's your take on this? Curator: It's interesting you mention the staged, artificial quality. Looking at Core's work through a critical lens, it's clear she’s engaging with the highly constructed imagery of food advertising. Consider the historical context of this genre; it's always been about selling a dream, often linked to aspirations around class, gender roles, and even racial stereotypes through depictions of the “ideal” family meal. What might Core be critiquing, or perhaps even complicit with, in her perfect club sandwich? Editor: Complicit? That’s an interesting thought. I initially saw the perfection as commentary, maybe on how unattainable those advertising standards are, particularly for women. Curator: Precisely. Think about the labor involved in achieving that level of visual perfection – the invisible work often associated with women’s roles in the domestic sphere. Is she exposing the constructed nature of desire in consumer culture, or merely reinforcing it through the very act of replicating it? Does the culinary "perfection" reflect unattainable beauty standards that also affect perceptions about class and race? Editor: So, it's about unpacking the layers, like the sandwich itself. I guess I’m seeing the image as both a celebration and critique, holding those tensions together. Curator: Exactly! And consider this image's contribution to a larger dialogue. We need to explore who benefits from the cultural obsession with food and body image, and to critically examine what systems of power are at play. It’s also key to look at contemporary food photography and discuss, within that conversation, questions of gender, consumption, and the politics of representation. Editor: This really has broadened my understanding. I came in thinking "pretty picture," but now I'm seeing a powerful statement about so much more. Curator: It's in these layers of questioning that we truly engage with art, and ultimately, with the world around us.