The last decade has witnessed a proliferation of artists and artist collectives interrogating the global politics and ethics of food production, distribution, and consumption. As an important document of new research and thinking around the subject, this book, published with Delfina Foundation, contains reflections on food by prominent artists, anthropologists, chefs, and activists, among others.

Jumana Manna’s work in film and sculpture explores how power is articulated through relationships, often focusing on the body and materiality in relation to narratives of nationalism and histories of place. This book includes stills from her film Wild Relatives (2018), a meditative documentary capturing the transit of seeds between the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway and the fields of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Botanical Drift explores the hermeneutics, historicization, semiotics, and symbiosis of plants—past, present, extant, and extinct—around the globe. Plant histories are explored by significant and diverse feminist, art-historical, and anthropological voices—from Germaine Greer to herman de vries—bringing new perspectives through photo-essays, fiction, performance, and interventions in ecological, film, and translation archives.

People have used honey, dates, and fruits to sweeten their dishes since time immemorial, but with the introduction of sugar—“white gold”—into cooking and baking, a whole array of delightful flavors and culinary possibilities was unearthed. In Bon! Bon!, Charlotte Birnbaum uncovers the wonderful world of all things sugary through surprising anecdotes and historical accounts, each accompanied by delectable recipes that are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Drawing upon the classic notion that flowers are imbued with meanings and a specific set of semantics with idealistic and hopeful connotations, Sicily-based artist Aleksandra Mir has edited and revised the botanical code in a more socially relevant fashion.