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Pearls Puncture and Support Fruit and Vegetables in Photographs by Ana Straže

All images © Ana Straže, shared with permission

In her latest series Forbidden Foods, photographer Ana Straže pierces a peeling slice of grapefruit, a cut eggplant, and other fruits and vegetables using small pins topped with pearls to create contemporary still lifes of common foods. The artist manipulates food and positions the pins in patterns as an attempt to alter the meaning of the every day objects. Straže tells Colossal she hoped the pearls would “help expose and emphasize different shapes and food value, such as emphasizing the structure of the epidermis, helping compositionally insert an object into a given space, complementing the food, and adding a new perspective.”

The ongoing series is an extension of the photographer’s previous work Garden of Eden, a project that centered on women’s expulsion in the Old Testament. “Through contemporary ways, I want to capture food in a unique approach with a slight sensual touch,” Straže writes. “With the Forbidden Food series, I’m trying to discover the limits of aesthetics and notice the importance of simple everyday things.” You can see more of the photographer’s food-based work on Instagram.