Delfina Foundation's Politics of Food dinner and exhibition explores agricultural crises and consumer disconnection

In February 2014, a dinner for 30 was held at the Delfina Foundation in London as part of its Politics of Food programme, organized by ArtReview's Oliver Basciano and the author alongside artists Dan Coopey and Maria Georgoula. The meal featured a sheep from a UK county severely affected by recent floods, symbolizing the sacrifice of rural areas to protect cities. Concurrently, the foundation's gallery hosted an exhibition with works addressing food-related disasters: Tadasu Takamine's Japan Syndrome (2012) films discussed post-Fukushima contamination in Japan's food chain, while Asunción Molinos Gordo's El Matam El Mish-Masry (2012) documented a three-week food kiosk in Cairo that served export produce, imported staples, and locally harvested trash. Candice Lin's Bacium Sub Cauda (2012) used claymation to depict the replacement of local pig species with breeds for international markets. The dinner began with a discussion on British consumers' disconnection from food sources and vulnerability to economic crises like those in Greece or Spain, but conversation later shifted away from agricultural issues. Despite this, the shared meal represented a political gesture in an era of screen-dominated dining. The event highlighted themes of panic and catastrophe in food discourse, as reflected in the exhibition's focus on environmental and social devastation.