Australian Baroque Table is a conversation between Baroque still life paintings of Jan Davidsz. de Heem and local Australian ingredients viewed through a contemporary Baroque lens. It draws inspiration from macro food photography and from Baroque chiaroscuro lighting, highlighting the form, colour and texture of everyday ingredients and revealing themes of abundance and transience.
Macro Food Jewels
Australian Baroque Table was born out of a series of photos I took of food as jewels – these were detailed macro photos of everyday foods that showed the jewel like qualities of food styled on velvet from passionfruit to lychees, finger limes and turmeric to kumato tomatoes, cucumbers and limes. The glistening jewel like qualities of food led me naturally to Baroque paintings in which textures of foods such as grapes and oysters are shown with astounding detail.
Baroque still life grapes and metallic tableware as jewels
Whilst researching the jewel like qualities of glistening fresh fruit and vegetables I found the still life paintings of Baroque artist Jan Davidsz. de Heem. His compositions of grapes and of precious tableware were described as jewel like. The more that I learned about his paintings and viewed them the more thoroughly I was drawn into the sumptuous world he creates.
Oysters
De Heem’s paintings of oysters were the first place I started – the glistening surface of oysters are masterfully painted and capture the freshness and transience of this food, paired with lemon peel, venetian glassware, and velvet.
Banqueting scenes
Then banqueting scenes with sumptuous seafood like lobster paired with lemon peel and other fruits and rich velvet and embossed metal.
A contemporary Australian Baroque lens in conversation with de Heem’s paintings
Australian Baroque Table is a contemporary Australian conversation with de Heem’s Baroque still life paintings which celebrates local foodways. While de Heem worked with oysters and lobster paired with fresh lemon peels, fruits, embossed metals, and rich velvets I enter an Australian conversation with his paintings with local ingredients. I work with local Australian seafood in a celebration of local foodways and seafood preparation rituals styled with Baroque elements including richly coloured velvet and silver exploring themes of abundance and transience of seafood from Sydney Rock Oysters to Balmain Bug, King Prawns and Blue Swimmer Crab. Australian Baroque Table borrows Baroque chiaroscuro lighting to shine a spotlight on the beautifully unique textures of local Australian seafood and celebrate everyday rituals of preparation and consumption from dressing oysters with Finger Lime to cutting Balmain Bugs down the centre to free the meat. Australian Baroque Table brings these influences together in a celebration of local foodways and ritual, inviting us to appreciate the extraordinary beauty of everyday ingredients.
Australian Baroque Table Exhibition
Australian Baroque Table is running as part of Head On Photo Festival Open Program at the Watch House Balmain from 24-29 November 2026 open daily from 11am – 5pm with Opening Night on 24 November from 5.30 – 7.30pm. All welcome, free entry.
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