London Chef Sam Clark Plans to Serve Vermin at Frieze Art Fair

Vermin is set to be served up at this year's Frieze London art fair by top chef Sam Clark.

Frieze London has a specially commissioned pavilion, dubbed an "avant-garde Borough Market", where there will be food stalls and performances that "explore the relationship between art, cooking and eating", the Evening Standard has reported.

Curator Sarah McCrory said: "There is an examination of the use value of art by Grizedale Arts and Yangjiang Group in the form of a structure, which will act as a forum and host for a number of artists who produce food, chaotic dining events, performance and talks."

Clark, of London's Moro restaurant, will be producing dishes made from ingredients that are "around on the day", said Alistair Hudson, of Grizedale Arts.

Along with Yangjiang, the cultural project will host Colisseum of the Consumed, a food-related programme of performances, discussions and representations.

Artists, chefs and food historians will be taking part, including Alistair Frost, Margot Henderson, and William Pope.

Hudson said: "The theme is around food and the use of food in society. Food is a great leveller but we also wanted to explore the fetishisation of food.

"The chefs are all going to be cooking things that are very easily obtained and cheap, which will be set against the context of the super-wealth of the art world.

"Sam Clark is going to be seeing what is around on the day, but it could be something like Canada goose, Japanese knotweed and honey fungus."

Clark will be cooking vermin and serving it to guests of the fair in the main pavilion, where the public can watch from a viewing platform.

According to the Guardian, McCrory has said the "vermin" will not necessarily be rats but has not been specific.

Frieze London opens on 11 October. It is now in its 10<sup>th year and features exhibitors from 35 countries.