Stroom Den Haag's of work by Mexican artist Raul Ortega Ayala, Living Remainsis extended till 21.11.2010.

Including performance, video, text and objects, Living Remains explores food beyond bodily sustenance, investigating its intrinsic significance in lifeís rituals and cycles, its role in religion and culture, as well as its interconnections with our emotions and psychologies. The exhibiton itself is preceded by the performance The Last Supper which explores the limits between the secular and the sacred. With the participation of twelve exhibition-goers, Ortega Ayala meticulously recreates the original meal and enacts the surrounding rituals as allegedly experienced by the Twelve Apostles according to the research of food historian Daniel Rogov. During the exhibition opening a second performance will take place in which Ortega Ayala recreates a buffet that was served in the Twin Towers' famous restaurant, Windows on the World, in New York. He serves this food on kitchenware that was possibly made from the recycled metal debris of the towers, investigating the paradoxical cycle to which these remains were subjected. The artist leaves the remains from both of these performances in the gallery to decompose slowly throughout the course of the exhibition. Tomatina / Tim is presented for the first time in Living Remains, exploring issues of decadence, abundance and excess. This video consists of two large-scale opposing projections in which the visceral and carnivalesque behaviour of Tomatina festival-goers in Spain is paired with an American professional competitive eater as he consumes 40 hotdogs in less than 10 minutes. Ortega Ayala interprets these phenomena as involuntary metaphors of our times. Other works in the exhibition include a cheese made from mother's milk, a work that Ortega Ayala first made in 2003, and a replica of Pieter Bruegel's The Tower of Babel made from fat, which will slowly melt during the course of the exhibition. The methods Ortega Ayala draws on in his practice resemble the work of an ethnographer. Immersing himself as a participant observer in environments such as those connected with food, gardening, office work and most recently statistics, he then uses the materials and experiences resulting from these immersions to produce a group of works which he calls 'souvenirs'. The artist's ongoing engagement and research into the world of food has included undertaking cooking and butchering courses in Mexico, London and New York. September 12 thru November 7, 2010 (Wednesday thru Sunday, 12 noon-5 pm) Opening: Saturday September 11, 2010, 5.00 pm with the performance 'Melting Pots' Extra event: Saturday September 4, 2010, 7.30 pm with the performance 'The Last Supper' Location: Stroom Den Haag, Hogewal 1-9, The Hague