Popcorn Painting

Did you know that popcorn was already being made in Peru 7,600 years ago? Indigenous peoples of the Americas also made popcorn, and the Europeans brought these popped corn kernels back to Europe. When, at the end of the 19th century, the popcorn machine was invented and Hollywood films became popular popcorn became strongly associated with the cinema. You can still get salty and sweet popcorn at any cinema, but the possibilities are endless. Can you come up with a unique popcorn flavour?

We have this artwork on loan from the Dijkstra Family Collection. They are the owners of this work of art (and publicly accessible website): https://www.popcornpainting.com/

Raphael's videos are shown all over the world!

America - New York, Times Square:

South Korea - Seoul Square:

Japan - Towada Art Center:

America - Cleveland University:

These dancing popcorns make you want to snack. Do you prefer sweet or salty? Or… caramel, lemon, pepper, or...?

Popcorn is one of the oldest snacks in the world. Archaeologists have found remains of popcorn dating back to 3600 BC in Mexico.

Popcorn can only be made from a specific type of corn, called "zea mays everta".

Popcorn is popped by adding a drop of water to the corn kernel. When heated, the water turns into steam, which increases the pressure in the kernel and causes the shell to burst open.

Popcorn is a source of fiber and can also contain vitamin B1, B2 and iron. But… also a lot of fats, sugars and salts. So not that healthy after all.

In the United States, popcorn is a popular snack, so much so that Americans eat so much popcorn every year that it fills a football stadium 50 times.

Rafaël Rozendaal (Amsterdam, 1980) is a Dutch-Brazilian visual artist. Rafaël lives and works in New York, where he recently exhibited several works at MoMA. He is known as a pioneer in the field of internet art, and also makes large installations, prints and paintings.