Ladurée and Raphaël Castoriano are proud to present Marina Abramovic’s Taste as the first subject of the Pastry Portrait®, a collection embodying identities in the form of taste.
The concept of taste evokes two experiences: the sensation of flavor and autonomous choice. More than just the flavor of the thing you put in your mouth, taste can refer to the accumulation of choices you make in every aspect of your life that eventually determine your individuality within the expansive world around you. Taste always goes back to choice.
When I said I wanted to have my own taste, they asked me so many questions… what I like, the colors, the smells, the landscapes in nature, the memories of childhood… all of this went into the Pastry Portrait® of me. My work is most of the time immaterial because performance art is immaterial, it is conceptual and limited by time. Kreëmart’s work in the medium of sugar is completely immaterial too, because you consume it, you eat it and its gone. What is left behind is the memory of what you eat. What is unique about the Taste is the memory that stays in your mouth, the intense experience.” – Marina Abramovic, July 2017
Three Prussian Blue macarons are stamped with Abramovic’s “Coat of Honor,” her father’s family crest which represents the delicate balance between fragility and strength. The particular shade of blue of the macarons is tied to Abramovic’s memory of her parents who were war heroes. The macarons, one of which is wrapped in gold leaf, are nestled inside a pyramid-shaped box, a shape whose origin lies in freemasonry, a symbol of energy and power. Abramovic’s crest is embossed in gold on the front with her signature below; more than just a box of macarons, it is an object that represents a conceptual artwork, emphasizing the performative experience of tasting the artist.
For this unprecedented and unique undertaking, Ladurée and Castoriano worked closely with the artist to curate every aspect of the Taste and the pastry. This process begins with the Papillae Questionnaire, a series of questions developed by Castoriano; the answers given by the individual are used to determine the concepts that should be in turn translated to flavors. Abramovic’s responses provide insight to the way the artist thinks about herself, as well as her values, her cherished memories, even her relationship with sugar.
Castoriano chose Marina Abramovic as the first subject to introduce the concept of the Pastry Portrait® Collection because of her affinity for the intangible and the immaterial. Working with top pastry and macaron maker Ladurée, the Pastry Portrait® opens the possibility for Abramovic to enter into a new mode of representation, capturing her history and who she is from the perspective of taste. Her body is her medium, the physical tool of her work; working together, Ladurée and Castoriano have conceived a new way of understanding what it is to experience Marina Abramovic.
Marina Abramovic’s Taste will make its worldwide debut on October 3rd at Ladurée London Harrods and will be available in-store through October 10th.
Following the London, Marina Abramovic’s Taste will be launched at Ladurée Paris Le Macaron from October 16-22 and will additionally be at FIAC art fair at the Grand Palais.