Artist’s Palate: Alicja Kwade’s green papaya salad

‘Unity’ quarter circle trays, £35 each, by AYTM. ‘Binic’ lamp, £132, by Ionna Vautrin, for Foscarini. ‘Giro’ fork and knife, £10 each, by UNStudio/ Ben van Berkel, for Alessi

(Image credit: Baker & Evans)

Everyday objects laden with metaphor, linear objects drooping against walls, and mirror images with deliberate imperfections lend a hallucinatory quality to the works of Alicja Kwade, unsettling our understanding of science and the meaning of reality. In happy contrast, her dish of choice is a simple green papaya salad. ‘The first time I made it was during an artist residency for L’Association Martiniquaise pour l’Art Contemporain in Martinique,’ she says. ‘Their small boathouse is the most beautiful place on earth I know.

Ingredients

Green papaya
Chilli
Garlic clove
Lime
Coconut oil (or another neutral oil)
Salted peanuts

Recipe

Grate the green papaya flesh, chop the chilli finely, crush or cut the garlic, and mix them with the juice of a lime. Add some oil and sprinkle some chopped peanuts on top. §

As originally featured in the July 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*232)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Alicja Kwade’s website

TF Chan is a former editor of Wallpaper* (2020-23), where he was responsible for the monthly print magazine, planning, commissioning, editing and writing long-lead content across all pillars. He also played a leading role in multi-channel editorial franchises, such as Wallpaper’s annual Design Awards, Guest Editor takeovers and Next Generation series. He aims to create world-class, visually-driven content while championing diversity, international representation and social impact. TF joined Wallpaper* as an intern in January 2013, and served as its commissioning editor from 2017-20, winning a 30 under 30 New Talent Award from the Professional Publishers’ Association. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he holds an undergraduate degree in history from Princeton University.