Power Hungry: Putting Inequity on the Table through Food Photography

One of the biggest social issues being talked about in today’s society is inequity. The clash of the 1% and the 99% has sent ripples all over the world. And while many governments are now dedicating themselves in solving the issue of income distribution, the fact is that there are still people living in deplorable states. In this powerful food photography series called Power Hungry, artists Henry Hargreaves and Caitlin Levin remind us of the stark difference of how the world’s elite eats compared to the rest.

Armed with the latest global statistics, photographer Henry Hargreaves and food stylist Caitlin Levin brought the issue of inequity to the table. By juxtaposing what the some of the most powerful world leaders eat to those of the majority in their respective countries.

According to Henry, Power Hungry started out as a look at what do historical dictators eat. As they went along, Henry and Caitlin realized the similarities of past and present authoritarian regimes and how these regimes used food as a way to bully their way through by systematically oppressing, silencing, and killing people through starvation. The series later on evolved from historical dictators to add current ones such as Assad and Kim Jong Un. Other than that, they have also included the situation back in 1789 France, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, and even the contemporary America.

The series literally and figuratively sits the people down in a table to see the glaring disparities of those who have to those who have none. While the world is a whole lot better now, the job is to create an equal and just society—not only in terms of food—is still far from over.

See more of Henry Hargreaves and Caitlin Levin’s work by visiting their website.

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Credits: Photographs by Henry Hargreaves and Caitlin Levin.