When comfort food feeds the creative mind

They painted cans of pea soup, poutine, cakes or peanut butter containers… So many everyday elements that can provoke several emotional reactions. Chloé Lalancette and Naomi Poirier, two visual artists from Quebec, chose to reproduce foods that are dear to them, for different reasons.

For Chloé Lalancette, food has been the center of her family universe since the beginning of her life. For me, it’s just a language that is easy and comes naturally to me. Referring to it makes me feel goodaffirms the artist.

The Pea Soup Can was the first work in his series Tablet, which is now complete. “I come from a background where we do everything ourselves when it comes to food. I have really had a fascination with “tablet” products since a very young age. It was something inaccessible for me. It was not part of my daily life. »

The painter and illustrator admits that meatball stew was her refuge during difficult times. No choice, you want your source of comfort, you’ll buy it!

The canned goods found in pantries are part of his corpus, just like the iconic yellow box of Cherry Blossom or the purple pint of 15% cream.

From the stomach to the brain, via the heart

Thanks to the emotions generated by food, Chloé manages to connect with people through her art. Food calls for something emotional and nostalgic, memories. It’s easy to have a sincere exchange.

Naomi Poirier is of the same opinion. These are things that are a little nostalgic or sentimental.

She took up watercolors during the pandemic, drawing inspiration from small joys and things that surround her every day, like food.

We eat three times a day. It’s such a part of our lives. There are some who take it for granted, there are some who don’t at all. It can be interpreted in so many different ways.

Their food works also exude an aspect of identity, certain foods being part of the culinary heritage of Quebec. I made poutine. It’s great day to daysuper banal. But it also has cultural importance, there are so many meaningsmentions Naomi Poirier.

The two painters come together in the symbols of popular culture. The hot dog was a source of inspiration for both of them.

Naomi Poirier’s works can be found in some businesses in the region, including Café Mila.

Reproductions of works from the series Tablet by Chloé Lalancette are currently displayed at deTerroir Café. The latter also exhibits other creations at the Bal du Lézard for the month of November.