Super Food

Lei Saito’s kaleidoscopic conceptual cuisine leaves us hungry for more

- Minako Norimatsu

Metaphysics and food go hand-in-hand in the world of Lei Saito. The Paris-based Japanese artist began her career in the studio of Annette Messager, the doyenne of French feminist art, experimenting with different mediums until she found her voice with culinary installations. She has created ‘decapitated’ pastries dressed with raspberry coulis for a Bastille Day party at the Palais de Tokyo; designed an edible landscape of violet and yellow vegetables for a dinner at London’s Matchesfashion; and installed a skating rink filled with clementine juice in Paris’ Galerie de Multiples. ‘Experiencing l’heure bleue – that special twilight moment of the day – is integral to understanding that piece,’ she muses. ‘Being complementary colours, orange and blue cancel out each other and everything becomes transparent.’