Art exhibitions are ripe with opportunities to extend the life of the work beyond the four walls of a gallery. Artist talks, accompanying publications, and special performances are often supplemental additions to the run of the show in order to build personal connections outside of the staticity of the art pieces themselves. Artist Lindsey Kircher pushed this desire to expand the limitations of an exhibition even further with a one night only dinner titled Girl Dinner, which accompanied her solo show Girl Talk. In collaboration with Oliva Gallery and the artistic cafe and catering company, TXA TXA Club, the dinner took place in the center of the gallery surrounded by Kircher’s paintings.
Attending the dinner, I noticed that the setting was foremost set by Kircher’s vibrant paintings depicting illusionary collage-like compositions of feminine figures obstructed by unexpected elements, like a cage with green parakeets, a pink poodle, roller skates, and a lifeguard sash. Each scene appears as if a still life has swallowed up a woman’s body in an attempt to turn her into another object on display, then spitting her back out viciously due to her resistance. The layering of subjects are reinforced by the range in renderings, one moment sharply detailed and dimensional, the next sketched and hurried, all adding to both the absurdity and allure of each painting.
TXA TXA Club being able to equally compete aesthetically with the strong work was a tall order, and one that came from Kircher’s ambition to host a unique moment of togetherness through a culinary experience. Kircher explains, “When deciding on the name of the show, Girl Talk, I had the idea to host a Girl Dinner, a recent internet trend defined as anything from a casual arrangement of random snacks that requires minimal effort and preparation, to a more artfully curated and aesthetically-pleasing adult Lunchable.”
The event kicked off with an hour for socializing unrestricted to the bounds of the table, welcoming guests to grab a Zissou Spritz cocktail (or spirit-free version) and spend time getting to know each other while trailing through the exhibition. Not knowing who would be in attendance was intimidating, but this feeling quickly morphed into anticipatory thrill as I began to meet people. Having the exhibition to discuss turned Kircher’s practice into a social throughline that connected the guests, creating an intimate and special way to dabble with an artist’s work as a conversational lifeline. Kimberly Oliva, the founder and owner of Oliva Gallery, was in attendance and a masterful host, introducing guests through personal descriptors, naturally setting everyone at ease. With the deliciously bitter and brilliant red cocktail in hand, the evening hit its stride.
Image (right): A diner’s view of the first course at Girl Dinner (white cheddar, nam prik pao, lime pickles, and saltines). Red-colored drinks in a variety of glasses and pink menus cover the table. Image courtesy of Lindsey Kircher.
At 7:00pm sharp, the guests were invited by TXA TXA Club’s co-founder Liz Bendure to have a seat. In the middle of the gallery was a long table complete with varying stools for each guest. The tablescape was an eclectic symphony of mismatched wine glasses, draping linen, oyster shaped holders, mini disco balls, and empty canned goods, with more details emerging as the dinner carried on like an I Spy book come to life. Vases were filled with pink and orange carnations, their hues mimicked by free flowing natural rosé and copper tinted Sauvignon Blanc that filled our glasses almost magically. After a lovely speech filled with gratitude by Kircher, who was seated at the head of the table, and an explanation of the first dish by Bendure, we dove in.
The evening of maximalist indulgence began with a spin on pimento cheese, combining white cheddar, nam prik pao, lime pickles, and saltines. “It worked perfectly with the Girl Dinner concept, elevating a simple snack into a decadent first course,” Kircher noted. While snacking, guests conversed comfortably between bites, remarking on the elaborate tablescape, the gracious reminder of the magic of saltines being overlooked, and the realization that a dish we thought we had known surprised us, mirroring the way Kircher’s paintings alter our perception of familiar imagery we thought we knew into a unique, pleasantly puzzling composition.
The plates were cleared and we were prepared for the second course of spring peas, asparagus, blackberries, ramps, and egg. The plateful was bursting bright green by the vegetables alone, further reinforced by a chartreuse hued backdrop of sauce. The deep purple of the blackberries emphasized the bold green by creating an opposite touchpoint, coming together in a composition reminiscent of Kircher’s piece Fountain of Youth, where the figure’s skin is shaded in similar greens playing against a dark background. Each bite erupted into fresh winks of spring, leaving us all momentarily transported to the first morning dew after cutting the grass.
At about this point in the dinner, I realized how much TXA TXA Club allowed Kircher’s exhibition to wash over their creative direction, designing both a menu and an evening that would thoughtfully represent the integrity of the paintings. The collaboration between these two artistic practices announced its symbiotic relationship right away, but this spring pea second course solidified it for me.
“I was specifically excited to work with TXA TXA Club in alignment with this exhibition,” explains Kircher, “because I feel that my paintings and TXA TXA Club’s style of preparing and presenting food take a similar approach: they seduce the audience while also presenting them with an experience that is refreshingly unexpected. My paintings attract and allure the viewer through the knowing gazes of the female figures, the provocative fashion accessories and seemingly limitless consumer goods, the hyper-sexualized body parts, and the bold use of color and light. At the same time, the women and objects in the work are scrambled and combined together in a manner that is elusive and disorienting, inviting the viewer to question their own conditioned expectations around beauty, youth, and sexuality.”
Image (right): A diner’s view of the third course at Girl Dinner (radish, daikon, apple, cheddar, white chocolate, and a touch of habanero). Bright pink flowers and pink menus can be seen nearby. Image courtesy of Ally Fouts.
The elusive and disorienting effect of her paintings were echoed heavily by the tablescape. Expected still life motifs were featured, like pale pink and burnt orange chiffon cloth draped throughout the centerpiece, the bouquets of carnations standing proudly, the tall lit candlesticks slowly dripping wax as the night progressed. But unexpected objects, like the empty canned-good reading “savoy coconut cream” in front of me that served as a vase for flowers, brought me back to the unexpected objects that appear in Kircher’s paintings. Much like the dinner’s tablescape, the painting Grotto Girl includes a depiction of classic dripping candlesticks, but is subverted by the caged pair of parakeets dangling from the figure’s toe.
The third course was presented as radish, daikon, apple, cheddar, white chocolate, and a touch of habanero. The dish was a monochrome configuration of light cream with ingredients shaped and cubed unexpectedly, making the elements visually indistinguishable from one another much like the magnetic confusion present in Kirchner’s work. When tasted, the savory cheddar was perfectly offset by the bite of the habanero that was welcomely subdued by the whisper of sweetness from the white chocolate. The guests and I discussed how this dish offered a nod to Kircher’s piece, Lady Rider From Hell, as it similarly needed to be sat with and chewed on before the viewer is able to distinguish specific elements from one another. At the dinner, Kircher shares, “This dish in particular mimics [Lady Rider From Hell’s] ability to fuse together disparate body parts and objects into an entity that somehow curiously holds together, while also mirroring my attempts to subvert something often unexamined, such as the standards and stereotypes that signify an idealized, ever-evasive form of beauty,”
Image (right): A view of a group of people eating around a long, rectangular table at Girl Dinner. Image courtesy of Lindsey Kircher.
The final savory dish arrived, and a plate of three Spanish White Anchovies on toast in a green curry with grilled grapes, hibiscus, and Thai basil sat before us. TXA TXA Club’s co-founder Bendure shared an introduction to the dish with much detail, but ended by playfully noting that no “girl dinner” is complete without a toast course. We chuckled and were reminded of the beautiful tightrope between seriousness and play that we were collectively walking. The important themes of the exhibition, including the objectification of femininity and domesticity, combined with the advanced dishes presented and thoughtful discussions occurring, were perfectly balanced by a whimsy that made me feel a part of a mischievous endeavor, a feeling I have never experienced in a gallery setting before.
The final dish, and perhaps the show stealer as even a certified non-dessert person like myself can attest, was the white balsamic vinegar ice cream served with kettle chips on top. The table fell quiet as we ate it, the sure sign of diner’s delight. Afterward, there was an eruption of joyfulness accompanied by a sense that we were all sitting on our hands as to not lick our bowls clean. Bendure signaled that the meal was a wrap and we were free to top off our wine glasses at our leisure and keep the evening going. The after-dinner portion mimicked the pre-dinner hour, but now we all had fresh takes on Kircher’s exhibition. Being able to sit with the work for three hours proved a unique experience on its own, but getting to hear everyone’s sprawling perspective (including the artist’s) against the backdrop of the food as a vehicle for analysis was fruitful.
Image (right): A diner’s view of desert at Girl Dinner (white balsamic vinegar ice cream served with kettle chips on top). Glasses, cutlery, flowers arranged in a coconut cream tin can, and reddish-orange chiffon cloth can be seen nearby. Image courtesy of Ally Fouts.
Curious to know more, I later asked Kircher how experiential events like this fit into her art practice.
“The day following the TXA TXA Club dinner, I co-facilitated Woven Girl Talk, Kircher explains, “an artist talk and weaving workshop with artist, colleague, and friend Shaqui Reed. Shaqui is a Chicago-based artist exploring womanhood, girlhood, and identity through a multidisciplinary practice, primarily working across textiles and sculpture. Though our practices manifest through different material explorations, we discussed how our practices align in their investigation of womanhood and femininity, and are often influenced by fashion, accessories, and adornment of the body.” Bringing another artist into the fold for conversation and exploration, especially one with a different primary medium, helps viewers deepen their understanding of a concept through a multi-directional approach. Girl Dinner worked in a similar way, providing an opportunity to noodle on the themes present in the paintings through a multi-dimensional sensorial experience that focused on taste rather than visual, and auditory through conversation. The effect was a more well-rounded understanding of Kircher’s motivations and intent.
“Kimberly Oliva and I also hosted a figure drawing night in the gallery,” Kircher continues. ”I sourced props from my own closet to set up a creative “staging area” for the model to pose in…I enjoyed bringing people together in the gallery to create drawings that took inspiration from my own work.” Whether through drawing or food, it is clear that Kircher’s practice is fueled by hosting a community and allowing for people to generate with her work as the launch pad, much like her inviting TXA TXA Club to interpret her work and design a menu using her exhibition Girl Talk as an impetus.
Sharing meals has been an innate human practice for centuries, making it the perfect avenue for facilitating genuine connection and building community—both of which are healthy, necessary elements of an artistic practice. When asking Kircher about her reflection on the experience and if she would continue to implement experiences like this with her future exhibitions, she shared, “As a teaching artist and educator, I am always thinking about how to make art more engaging and accessible to different audiences. Through this experience, I learned that sharing a meal in the gallery space can facilitate an environment where people feel more comfortable to connect with me and each other in conversation about the work. The specific relationship between the creative menu and the maximalist paintings encouraged people to approach the show with a fresh perspective. I would certainly consider activating future work by developing events like Girl Dinner, [events that are] provocative, sensory experiences that can be shared with other people and bring them closer to the work.”
When I compare my perception of Kircher’s artistic practice, Oliva Gallery’s mission, and TXA TXA Club’s culinary practice, the apparent throughline is accessibility. Each offers a valuable, attentive, and distinguished creative contribution to our world, but with an overwhelming sense of welcome. The pretense is left at the door and the desire for deep rooted connection prevails. I left the dinner nourished, giddy, and hopeful about art’s ability to further unite our world.
About the author: Ally Fouts is an arts writer and graphic designer based in Chicago, IL. She holds a BFA in Graphic Art, Media, and Design from DePaul University. With writing, she is especially interested in investigating alternative photography and sculptural work, and jumps at the chance to amplify dedicated arts workers through interviews. In addition to Sixty, she contributes writing to Newcity, and Chicago Reader.
