Artist's Palate: Roger Hiorns' insalata Caprese

(Image credit: Photography: John Short.)

last updated 13 October 2022

Roger Hiorns’ art, relying as it sometimes does on naturally occurring chemical reactions and the crystallising process of copper sulphate, is not dissimilar to his recipe. Hiorns lets the material do what it needs to do. It creeps and grows and makes its own aesthetic decisions, no more so than when he created a fantastic blue crystal landscape in a London flat. The installation, Seizure, was a smash. Beyond the small matter of inserting two containers’ worth of copper sulphate into the flat, Seizure did much of the heavy lifting itself. As does insalata Caprese. This colourful mozzarella, basil and tomato salad lets the ingredients do the work.

Ingredients
Large ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
Fresh mozzarella balls, cut into quarters
Fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Arrange the tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves evenly on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

INFORMATION

Photography: John Short. Interiors: Maria Sobrino

Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper*. She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996, and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms, and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke. A native Londoner, Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film, literature, and fashion. Her work for the brand involves curating content, writing, and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food, drinks, and entertaining in all its forms