”I think cooking as an act of making something is a metaphor for many aspects of life.”
Step into the kitchen with Brooklyn-based sculptor Hugh Hayden. In this video, Hugh Hayden draws out the connection between cooking and creation and between American culinary tradition and the formation of modern America.
“If you think of America as a sort of stew of different cultures, Toni Morrison says it great that black people are that pot,” Hugh Hayden remarks, introducing the concept behind his body of work consisting of skillets with African masks cast into the metal.
“Most people in America, regardless of their ethnicity, are copies of a copy of something that came from somewhere else, mixed with something else. And so, I like this idea of making copies of these masks that had questionable levels of authenticity,” Hugh Hayden explains.
The African masks, some authentic and some not, are used as ready-mades, already existing objects whose meaning and histories Hugh Hayden expands on by turning them into something else. Some are seasoned in the oven with grapeseed oil; others are plated with copper or gold. Each finishing adds a different layer of meaning.
Back in the kitchen, Hugh Hayden takes a similar approach. Starting with a box of Jiffy brand cornbread mix, he has made his own spin on the recipe on the packaging of the American favourite.
Hugh Hayden’s Cornbread Pudding recipe:
This spin on a cornbread recipe gets you the ideal texture, I think, neither too moist nor too dry. It also is my take on a traditional Thanksgiving stuffing with cranberry jelly. I think a metal pan works better than glass. And be sure to use Jiffy brand cornbread mix! You can adjust the amount of sugar to your desired sweetness. It’s best when it has time to cool to room temperature or, even better, the next day.
Ingredients
1 stick of butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 egg (beaten)
½ (14 1/2 ounce) can of creamed corn
1 (8 1/2 ounce) box Jiffy cornbread mix
½ (14 1/2 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
½ cup dried cranberry
Directions
1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Mix in sour cream and then egg.
3. Mix in cream corn.
4. Gradually sprinkle cornbread mix over corn and stir all together, but don’t overdo it.
5. Fold in whole corn, then cranberries.
6. Pour in a buttered pan or oiled cast iron skillet.
7. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees; crust edges should be golden brown when done.
8. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes. It’s good warm or at room temperature!
9. Cut into SQUARES.
*This is the original recipe with cranberries. To make a cheddar-onion version, substitute the cranberries with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and ½ cup diced and caramelized onion and bacon if you like.
Hugh Hayden (b. 1983 in Dallas, Texas) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York City. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. His art has been exhibited in numerous institutions in the United States and abroad. These include public art installations, ‘Huff and a Puff,’ at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA, and ‘Brier Patch,’ at the Madison Square Park Conservancy in New York, NY. His recent solo exhibitions are ‘Hughman,’ Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, ‘Boogey Men’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Miami, FL, and Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX; ‘Huey,’ Lisson Gallery, New York, NY; ‘Hues,’ C L E A R I N G, Brussels, Belgium; ‘Hugh Hayden: American Food,’ Lisson Gallery, London, UK. Recent group exhibitions include ‘Forest of Dreams: Contemporary Tree Sculpture,’ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI (2023) and ‘NGV Triennial,’ National Gallery of Victoria, Australia (2023).
Hugh Hayden’s works are included in several public collections – including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, USA; Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Miami, FL, USA, and deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA.
Hugh Hayden was interviewed by Nanna Rebekka in his studio in Brooklyn, New York, in May 2023. Watch our other interview with Hugh Hayden here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPjUHzORQSg&t=1s
Camera: Sean Hanley
Edited and produced by: Nanna Rebekka
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2023. Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, and C.L. Davids Fond og Samling.
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