Pizza is God

Whether pizza is served as high-end cuisine or a poor man’s food, this global product transcends the boundaries of culture and social class. The circular piece of dough has long become an established superfood. It is so much more than just something we eat. Aside from culinary considerations, the preparation, consumption and ubiquity of pizza involves at least as many social aspects. These must be taken into account in order to understand the entirety of this phenomenon. For instance, in sociology the “pizza effect” refers to reciprocal processes of reception and exchange and thus to the constant transformation of cultures. Only recently did the UNESCO in Paris allow Italy to formally register the preparation of pizza as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. That’s iconic!

The collection “Pizza is God” accompanies the eponymous international group exhibition. Situating a cultural phenomenon in the world of contemporary art, the exhibition will be staged by NRW-Forum Düsseldorf in 2018. This feast for the eyes, which combines painting, photography, net art, as well as video and performance, is complemented in the book by texts and essays written by renowned experts from the fields of food history, culture and science.

Text in English and German.