A table! Eating Is Never Neutral

What’s your most intimate ritual? The morning coffee you can’t live without, the childhood flavor that still lingers on your tongue, or that sudden craving that insists on being satisfied right now? Food isn’t just about nourishment. It’s memory, desire, identity. It’s as personal as it is political — and, when placed under the lens of art, it becomes a mirror of who we are.

From September 20 to November 23, Brussels’ Maison des Arts invites us to pull up a chair and rethink the act of eating. The exhibition “À table !” brings together eight contemporary artists, alongside pieces from Schaerbeek’s municipal collection, in a sensory dialogue that stretches from kitchen gardens to banquet halls. It’s not about recipes — it’s about what they reveal.

Because let’s be honest: food has always been more than fuel. To share a meal is to recognize the other as human. To host, to exchange, to offer, is the oldest language of hospitality. Even when it surprises, repels, or challenges, what’s on the plate tells us everything about the person across from us: their habits, their heritage, their economy, their beliefs. A dish is never neutral — it carries history, culture, geography. It tells us where we come from, and perhaps, where we are going.

The exhibition is not content with aesthetic contemplation; it feeds debate. Alongside the artworks, visitors are invited to take part in communal banquets, cine-clubs with discussions on food and society, and even a solidarity lunch prepared by local youth. Art leaves the frame and lands on the table, reminding us that eating is always social, always ethical, always political.

For today’s cosmopolitan man, this resonates deeply. We live in a world where food choices are declarations of values: plant-based or carnivorous, local or global, sustainable or indulgent. The exhibition reminds us that the way we eat is inseparable from how we live — and how we connect.

In an age of fleeting digital encounters, there’s something radical in slowing down, sitting together, and sharing a meal. Whether it’s at a Michelin-starred table, a street market in Bangkok, or your grandmother’s kitchen, the act remains the same: to feed and be fed is to acknowledge our common humanity.

So take a seat. The table is set, and the conversation promises to be richer than any dish.

A table ! — Exhibition at La Maison des Arts
Chaussée de Haecht 147, 1030 Brussels
20 September – 23 November 2025
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