Artist’s Palate: Sarah Sze’s South Asian endive boats

Ceramic pot, £850, by Abigail Simpson, from Willer. ‘Rock Stacking’ candle holder, £130, by Tom Dixon, from Amara. ‘Crockery White’ jug, £140; posy vase, £40, both by Max Lamb, from 1882 Ltd. ‘Geir’ marble weight, by Broste Copenhagen, £60; ‘Rock Stacking’ tealight holder, £75, by Tom Dixon, both from Amara. Pyrite cluster, £1,400, from Dale Rogers Ammonite. Poppy seed vase, £270, by Akiko Hirai, from The New Craftsmen. ‘Mystone Ceppo di Gre’ tiles, £43 per sq m, by Marazzi. Interiors: Matthew Morris. Food: Olivia Bennett

Improvisation is central to the work of US artist Sarah Sze – her installation, Triple Point, for the US pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale, integrated locally scavenged objects such as rocks, paint cans, cups and even a sleeping bag. Her endive boats are similarly adaptable; for example, the fish sauce and green chillies can be replaced with olive oil and lemon. Says Sze, ‘Mixing them feels like merging different places, memories and moods, and seeing and tasting how each affects the other.’

Ingredients
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (any neutral oil will do)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (Thai or Chinese will do)
1-2 Thai chillies, finely sliced (depending on spice tolerance)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2cm cubes
1 cucumber, peeled and diced into 1/2cm cubes
2 spring onions, diagonally sliced into 1/2cm pieces
2 avocados, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
1/8 cup mint, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish
1/8 cup coriander, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, crushed
4 endives, outer leaves removed to create the boats
black sesame seeds, to garnish

Method
In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, oil, fish sauce, chillies and sugar. In large bowl, mix together the chopped vegetables, herbs and crushed nuts. Add the liquid mixture and gently toss. Divide the mixture between the endive leave boats. Garnish with black sesame seeds, and coriander and mint leaves.

As originally featured in the April 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*241)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Sarah Sze website (opens in new tab)