Bean Bag 1978

What materials do you first think of when I mention the word 'art'? For many people, the answer is probably oil paint, marble, watercolour. I bet you didn't think of beans! 🫘 For the American artist Alison Knowles (b. 1933), beans are an essential medium. As a member of the Fluxus Movement during the 1960s and 1970s, Knowles worked with experimental art practices and used a variety of unconventional methods. Created in 1978, 'Bean Bag' is comprised of a green cardboard box filled with cotton bags. These cotton bags contained various dried beans. In March 1979, Knowles was forced to contact the collector who had purchased 'Bean Bag' in order to instruct them to freeze the artwork. The beans were being eaten by 'small black mites'! Far from being devastated by her work being damaged, Knowles embraced the idea of decay. She wrote that the work had developed its own 'life and death cycle'. 🔁 So, why beans? The legumes are a staple in human diets, providing a cheap and essential source of nutrients for worldwide populations. Could Knowles be suggesting that we are internationally connected by our fundamental human needs? 🌍 By making use of an everyday food item, Knowles draws attention to our perceptions of what counts as art. This challenges the elitism of the contemporary art world. So, what do you think? Can food be an artistic material? Maybe you'll see your plate differently after encountering Alison Knowles.