BELLA CARDIM

Nurture was created in 2019, shortly after I moved from Brazil to the United States, at a moment when my relationship with food and photography was beginning to shift.

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After nearly two decades working as a commercial food photographer, I began to look beyond the polished surface of food and to question what it means to be nourished. The series focuses on the internal structures of fruits and vegetables, drawing attention to forms, lines, and textures that are often overlooked when food is reduced to appearance, convenience, or consumption.

 

Presented in black and white, the images isolate fragments of familiar foods and transform them into abstract forms. Removed from color and context, their internal patterns become more visible, inviting a slower and more attentive way of looking.

Nurture marks an early point in my transition from commercial food photography to conceptual art. It is where food begins to move beyond subject matter and becomes a language through which I investigate nourishment, perception, and the structures hidden beneath the surface.