do(n’t) play with your food

A beautiful ode to delighting one’s senses at the dinner table, do(n’t) play with your food is the project of Berlin-based creative director and set designer Ria Suarez and photographer Jiuk Kim. The artists met on Instagram, and a mutual admiration for one another’s work—along with Ria’s idea for the concept—led to an email exchange, a schedule comparison, and ultimately, a shoot date. “If an artist has a compelling concept and approach, I’m always open to collaborating,” Jiuk says. “Ria had both, so why not?”

Ria, who has long-loved incorporating edible ingredients into her sets, cites her childhood as the inspiration behind do(n’t) play with your food. “I remember my parents forming little islands of rice on my plate. It was a tactic to get me to eat more, and it worked!” she says. When it came to sourcing for the project, subtlety and playfulness were top of mind. She opted for a neutral palette and humble ingredients—“food that’s familiar with interesting textures, and ingredients with less obvious beauty, like the sardine”—and decided to set them against sculptural Izabel Lam flatware. “It’s a delicate balance,” she says.

Jiuk shot the series on film with natural light—her preference since moving to Berlin five years ago. Once in the studio, her collaboration with Ria came together organically. “It just clicked, and I went straight into working without hesitation,” she says. The result? In Ria’s words: “Whimsical and subtly dreamlike images. I love how Jiuk captured the scenes.”

As for future projects, it seems likely that food will stay in the picture. Next time, it may be playfully shaped rice, a more direct reference to Ria’s childhood memories, and an activity she still loves. We’re certainly looking forward to it—and in the meantime, remembering to pause and take more joy in the ingredients on our table before consuming them.

Panolo Blahnik