What Artists Eat

Writer Ender Başkan was blown away and broken apart by Alice Springs. His novel “Portrait of Alice As a Young Man” was written as he navigated the enormity of impending parenthood whilst living in the centre of Australia. His practice has now shifted fully into the enormity of parenthood, and towards poetry (as a Dad, he now has less time). He grew up being fed books, but “not in literary surround...

There’s something quite animalistic about Merpire’s music - the moniker of Naarm/Melbourne-based Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt - whose huge, gritty voice, whimsical turn-of-phrase and inimitable chord choices seem impossible to tame, were it not for a sobering honesty that could heal even the most stoic crowd. Merpire’s songs aren’t just effortless, catchy dark-pop anthems deserving of a home in t...

Ella Mittas is a writer and cook who lives and works in Melbourne, catering events and private functions. Her Greek heritage and fascination with traditional foods and cooking styles led her to live and work in Turkey and Greece. Her debut cookbook Ela! Ela! (meaning 'Come, come' in Greek) is a heartfelt journey of knowledge in food, culture and belonging. She's now working on a novel, and we disc...

Naarm/Melbourne based painter, teacher, home cook, romantic, Brooke Holiday lives where food meets feeling, and story meets still life. Her paintings, inspired by objects and domestic rituals, carry emotional weight: a bruised pear, a flicker of candlelight, a beloved market trip. Food is her other creative language: barfi from her grandmother, a fridge frequently stocked with Salsa Verde, drop-in...

Annie-Rose Maloney has a simple ethos when it comes to writing a song: it must have a pulse, it must feel nice to sing, and it must bear a truthfulness about our human experiences. We talked about the mixed bag of emotions that come with releasing music, the decisions she’s had to make to be uncompromising with her art and the nourishment that comes from growing her own food and sharing meals with...

Emily Wurramara  ( she/her ) has had a huge past 12 months. After her historic win at the ARIA awards, and in celebration of her multi award winning album ‘ NARA ’, she has announced an encore tour. Emily is a Lutruwita/Tasmania-based artist, activist, author and proud Warnindhilyagwa woman hailing from Groote Eylandt & Milyakburra/Bickerton Island. Emily reflects on her formati...

Manisha Anjali is a writer and an artist. She is the founder of Neptune , a research and documentation platform for dreams, visions, and hallucinations. She is the author of Naag Mountain, published by Giramondo in April 2024. Naag Mountain was shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award at the Queensland Literary Awards in 2024. Manisha grew up in Suva, Fiji, surrounded by nature, food and b...

Francesca Gonzales is many things. She’s a psychology student, musician, songwriter, vocalist, key-tar player and facilitator. She’s a staunch advocate for artists’ mental health and finds herself constantly thinking about how she can help artists figure out what’s best for themselves in an industry that leaves many people miserable and burnt out. Francesca is obsessed with promoting and facilitat...

Rochelle Siemienowicz grew up as a strict Seventh Day Adventist. Her first experiences of art (particularly writing) was the bible. In terms of food, she went through a renaissance in culinary life when she left the church and was in her early 20’s. Her latest novel ‘Double Happiness’ is a love story loosely inspired by her own journey of polyamory. “The journey of writing this latest book has bee...

This is a recording of a live panel talk from North Gallery in Fitzroy presented by Food For Everyone . It was during Gem Leslie 's exhibition called 'Pantry Study', where she visited and painted multicultural pantries around Melbourne. Our guests were Jaclyn Crupi - author of several books on food including PASTA LOVE and GARDEN LIKE A NONNO about her Italian pantry. Kira Hosking - creative consu...

Fred Mora of Long Prawn jokes that sometimes he’s the prawn’s head and sometimes, the tail. He’s not quite artist, not quite cook, somewhere in between. Fred and his creative collaborator Lauren Stephens are Long Prawn , a collective using food as a springboard to start conversations that traverse big ideas and observe parts of culture that have fallen out of focus. They have held various events a...

Jess Ribeiro is a lover of many things, including creation myths, deep sea creatures and fancy European service stations. Jess’ upbringing in a small country town, steeped in the energy of Chinese restaurant kitchens, provided a unique backdrop for her artistic and culinary evolution. Her Hong Kong-born father found solace in these kitchens, where Cantonese was more than a language—it was a connec...

In the vast tapestry of human experience, there are those who traverse the realms of imagination with paintbrushes in hand, and others who concoct culinary masterpieces with a dash of creativity and a pinch of tenderness. Yet, nestled within this intricate mosaic lies the story of Charlotte Alldis —a multifaceted creator, a fierce lover, and a loyal protector of those in her orbit. Meet the artist...

For Tim Shiel , music isn't just a career—it's a personal practice, a means of self-expression, and a conduit for connection. He eschews the notion of the tortured artist, finding inspiration not in pain, but in abundance and community. Tim is a musician, producer and broadcaster, hosting Arvos on Double J & Something More on triple j . As Tim continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes...

If you love art and food, you probably know Libby Haines’ work. Her juicy textural still life paintings sell out in seconds on Instagram. Libby is an artist who knows the magic of those really good meals that stay with you for years. For her, painting and cooking are deeply intertwined – both are expressions of creativity, nourishment, and self-expression. Going back, Libby’s childhood memories ar...

When Peter Corrigan heard John Williams' score for ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ‘ as a kid, he was never the same again. Hearing that piece changed him forever and set him on course to become a composer. Pete is a composer for film and media, as well as being an accomplished pianist. When we get to the pointy end of things, Pete is tender and practical about the idea of the Starving A...

Welcome artist Gemma Leslie, founder of Food for Everyone . Food for Everyone invites chefs and artists to collaborate on recipe posters. From each poster purchased they donate the equivalent of 10 meals to food charities.  To Date they’ve donated $150,000 which equals roughly 750,000 meals. On Food For Everyone, you can find recipes from Nigella Lawson, Jessica Nguyen, Hetty McKinnon and And...

Our interview begins with a burping poodle and ends with the beautiful Turkish phrase “health to your hands” which really sums up the essence of Olivia Cummings, founder and jewellery maker behind Cleopatra’s Bling . She will take you on a poetic journey to explore the mythology behind Greek amulets, and then ground you with tales of the logistics behind making her dog Alfonso’s birthday cake. Thi...

We couldn’t fit all of Tiphaine De Fleurette Hunter-Brown’s career titles into our, well, title, so we didn’t even try. This powerhouse of a woman is a true slashie and we know that the list of titles will keep growing on a weekly, if not daily basis. Tiphaine is the creative director of The Project Space , a creative arts facility in Apollo Bay, Creative Director of Floreo Creative Web + Design a...

You might know ceramicist Lyn Sendeckyj as Sailorboi. Why Sailorboi? It’s just one of those great nicknames that stuck. He has always tried to find something to do with his hands and for 13 years he’s been up to his elbows in clay and glazes as the owner of Sailorboi Studio, his pottery school in Brunswick. From there, he not only creates his own very personal and often hilarious ceramic piec...

With beginnings in sculpture and conceptual art in the UK, Kayleigh Heydon moved to Melbourne ten years ago and has since incorporated painting, ceramics and music into her practice. Don't be offended, but you're probably making your humble cup of tea wrong. When we investigate the subtleties of tea making with Manchester born and raised Kayleigh, it gets heated pretty quick. She's from the North...

Feeling a bit full from a few weeks of snacking on our past interviews? Here's our first Palate C leanser , an audio journal by our very own Zoltan Fecso . Here's Zoltan's visit to his favourite local market, the Preston Market. A short story of food, place, the senses & community. Click here for more information about the Preston Market , and here to save the Preston Market from being destroy...

Artist Lily Nicholson grew up connected to the Land and aware of its gifts. It wasn't just for growing food - she found in it endless creative inspiration. On family trips she would draw maps of her experiences, especially those connected to Nature. After attending art school far from home and often finding herself living off beans, she and her partner once again found themselves drawn back to Yui...

When we asked Giuliano Ferla of FERLA to describe himself and his practice, he had an interesting way of explaining his craft. He's definitely a musician and a lyricist, but in the past he wasn't sure if he could call himself a poet. For Giuls, it's the combo of putting poetry to music that's important to him. He feels that "there's a gravitas to the title of poet that doesn't fit..." but he seeks...

Lorna Crane is the real deal. She’s a mixed media artist who has been exhibiting for 40 years and has been a practising artist her entire life, whilst working in between. Fibre has been a big part of her work for a long time and  “even in my earlier paintings I would collage in a piece of jute or hessian or a bit of cloth as well, because for me, cloth holds a memory, it’s something that, whe...