In 2006, Ju Duoqi bought several kilograms of peas and strung them together to make a skirt, a top, a headdress, and a magic wand. From there, the Chinese artist began looking at the vegetable aisle differently: “I would often pace in front of the vegetable stalls, picking things up, thinking and putting them back, trying to figure out which positions made them more interesting.” Eventually she branched out and began using vegetables to recreate famous works of art.
Of her potato-head soldiers featured in her recreation of Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People (pictured below), Duoqi says, “You wouldn’t know them any better if they were chopped into French fries and covered in ketchup, but when placed in the picture, they all appear unfamiliar and rich in facial expression.”
Click through to view more of her inspiring, edible artwork.
Liberty Leading the Vegetables
The Dream of the Tofu
The Third of May 2008
Birth of the Gingerman
Mona Tofu
The Kiss of the Radishes
Vincent Van Gogh Made of Leek
The Scream of the Sweet Potatoes
Cabbage Monroe
The Raft of the Lotus Roots
The Last Supper with the Gingermen
Napoleon on Potatoes