Instagram-Famous Food Carving
A few days ago, various memes and gifs started to appear on my feed which all featured an intricately-carved avocado. I played off these memes as a joke–surely no one could have actually carved this vegetable quickly enough where the produce wouldn’t brown, and seriously, this is produce we’re talking about. Fruits and vegetables aren’t exactly the easiest medium to work with.
After some amount of research on Instagram, I stumbled upon a page called gaku carving (@gakugakugakugakugaku1) which featured the works of its owner, self-proclaimed food artist “Gaku,” who currently resides in Japan.
A Take on “Mukimono”
Gaku’s works reflect a practice knownn as “mukimono” which combines food and art. “Mukimono” can be translated into the phrase “stripping of things”, which is shown in Gaku’s works where he transforms every-day produce with breathtaking, intricate, designs. Mukimono first became prevalent in 16th century Japan, and its popularity then reached Thailand, where the art form remains a common practice in both countries today.
Gaku’s Method
Due to the fact that fruits and vegetables, once peeled, can brown or discolor quickly due to oxidization, Gaku must work quickly in order to create the perfect piece. For any novice who may be interested in tackling this seemingly-formidable art challenge, Gaku suggests to start practicing with bananas, as they are affordable and easy to handle.
Unlike other art forms, an added benefit of Gaku’s medium is that they are edible as well as beautiful. Gaku has stated that he eats all of his works after he is done (except, of course, for the peels).
More of his jaw-dropping transformations are featured below (seriously, he can turn even broccoli into a masterpiece). To see more of his work, follow him at gaku carving on Instagram.