Alli Gelles, Artist and Baker

July 13, 2023

It’s not often that adjectives such as “messy,” “chaotic,” “garish,” and “grotesque,” are used positively in regard to anything edible. But Brooklyn-based artist Alli Gelles has flipped the script. Once a hobby, now a core element of her practice, Gelles has garnered both Instagram fame with her account @cakes4sport, and fine art acclaim for her highly non-traditional confections. Though her practice pushes the limits of traditional flavor profiles — featuring ingredients like activated charcoal, pink peppercorn meringue buttercream, Shiso passionfruit jelly, and raw gooseberries — it’s in the glittering bulbous decoration that we can see Gelles’ artful work is about more than the pursuit of baking. Her cakes are sculptures that speak to deeper themes of consumption, escapism, temporality, and control. Each cake’s cheeky title — “RoxyBillabingbong,” “Boss Baby II,” “Miu Miu Bucket Hat” — offers a witty allusion to the piece itself, with a brightly colored Y2K palate, textural references, and unexpected accessories than span from plantlife to metal, as seen on “Classroom Doodle”’s cake top, out of which protrudes the stainless steel wire binding of a notebook. By nature, Gelles’ elevated and enigmatic work naturally fist into arenas outside of the kitchen or the Instagram grid, and has been shown in galleries both in group and solo shows, as well as on the runway at New York Fashion Week as a collaboration with artist-turned-designer Carly Marks’ brand, Puppets and Puppets. Where cake making has long since been about careful measurement and perfectly flat fondant, Gelles, like any great artist, is throwing out the recipe.

Photography by Jesper D. Lund
Interview by Anna Zanes

What is your ideal office?

A live/work space where I can have my art practices all under one roof. A big stainless steel kitchen, a studio with a kiln, and a sunroom with citrus trees.

Do you have any rituals around your work — music you listen to etc?

Procrastination is key :^).

What is one song that never fails to make you dance?

“Make It Up,” by Tirzah.

What is the last thing you fell in love with?

Reena Spaulings, the book. Complete chaos, nearly illegible.

What would your last meal be?

Pozole rojo and a freshly baked cuernito pan dulce.

What is one food trend you could live without?

The absence of frozen yogurt places. They used to be everywhere — I love froyo.

Which art form outside of your own do you find the most stimulating?

Fiction writing. It’s incredible to me how people can just make shit up! I know you can say that about a lot of things, but writing is hard for me, so I find it really impressive.

Where do you go to seek inspiration?

Galleries, fancy bodegas, and defunct Mom blogs from the 2010s.

Who was the first person you idolized?

Paloma Herrera, former principal dancer at ABT.

What is the sexiest texture?

Stucco, particularly the cat face pattern.

What brings you peace?

Being warm and knowing when to shut up.

What was the last thing to make you laugh until you cried?

Happens all the time! Can’t recall any one thing.

Breakfast of champions?

Leftover carne asada burrito eaten cold.

Lyrics to live by?

‘Smile like you mean it.’

Culture

So Far So Good

April 26, 2024

Nolan Zangas’ first solo book So Far So Good, published by Blurring Books, unveils 160 pages of unreleased personal work spanning the last five years of living in New York City. Growing up running around the city's streets, capturing candid moments on disposable cameras during his youth, Nolan's desire to concretize his memories blossomed into the successful career he has today. This project stands apart his expansive body of work as a diaristic exploration of young adulthood, delving into the intersection of beauty and pain, and navigating "the fine line between success and failure" amidst the perpetual motion of a city like New York, shining a light on people and moments that shape its identity yet are often overlooked.

“In the spirit of La Haine as Vinz describes the man who falls from a skyscraper reassuring himself: ‘So far, so good...so far, so good’ on the way down,” the book serves as a tangible reminder that in life ‘It’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.’”

Ahead of the launch at earshot.nyc tomorrow, we caught up with Nolan over email to talk about his selection process, how he got started taking photos, and why he doesn't post everything on Instagram.

Photography Nolan Zangas

How did you select what made it into the book?
My process is very physical. I hand print my images in a darkroom. I start by making a contact sheet. If I like the images on the contact sheet, I often cut them out and glue them into a notebook. Then I go back and print the images I like. Sometimes im in the darkroom like 30 hours in a week.
How many did you have to sort through?
It’s so hard to say. Easily over 100,000 frames. I made over 1,000 prints and most of them did not make the cut.
A book can act almost like an artifact, in that when you’re picking it up, it exists in that moment — whether that’s the day after it launches or five years from then. Did that come to mind and was there a specific thread you followed to ensure that timelessness?
I think that’s what makes books so important. I collect a lot of books. Images now feel so disposable, and I really like physical things. I think the selection of images are feel timeless, and the layout adds a bit of character to it all.
Not every upbringing is the same and as someone who also grew up in NYC, coming of age here is very different from any other place — at what point in your adolescence did you decide to start documenting your life and the people around you?
I started taking pictures of my friends on disposables around the age of 12. I lost or never picked up any of the negatives and the files are long gone. That really upsets me, and I think that made me want to take a lot more pictures as I got older. Around 18 is when I really started taking pictures of my life and things around me. I wanted to be able to look back at it all one day. I also think I’ve been surrounded with such diverse people. I think everyone deserves to have their picture taken.

How do you know when you’ve found a good picture?
There are a bunch of technical aspects that go into a good picture but I feel like for this project that stuff matters less. If it’s a good moment, and the picture makes me feel like I’m there, it’s a good picture.
The title is self-explanatory in context but I’m curious to know what led you to pick So Far So Good as the book's title.
Pretty early on in the process of making a layout actually. I think one of my friends said “so far so good” in conversation, and I instantly thought about the scene in La Haine where they talk about falling from a building. Then in my head I was like, holy shit thats the name right there”. It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.
Creating anything is an act of giving. How do you hope people, and those featured in its pages, receive the book?
I think it’s going to be cool for people who are in it because most of them don’t even know the pictures exist. I haven’t really been sending or showing anyone pictures because then they just end up on Instagram and in my head thats basically the trash can. I think some people won’t get it and others will. I don’t really mind. Everyone grew up doing different things.

It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.

Culture

I Only Came For the Parties

Between Rihanna and A$AP Rocky surprise appearance to the open bars, food trucks, and dance floors, the party was wild. As I arrived at the ranch, I was immediately met with a friend of mine running up to me saying, “Pookie and Jett are here. We NEED to party with them.” We began the hunt after stopping by the Passes.com table for some cotton candy. With a wrist full of stacked bands on one arm and a drink in my other, I hurried past Justin and Hailey Bieber before reaching the packed dance floor. It must’ve been close to sunrise when I finally came to and headed for the exit. Walking out, I ran into my friends who told me they just drove in from LA and NYC just for the party. This being my 10th Coachella, I'd probably stay home next year if it weren’t for this party.

Culture

Celebrating Earth Day w/ Nike x office

No Earth Day celebration is complete without action, so here are 10 local NYC-based initiatives you can get involved in to preserve the planet we all share.

Join a community garden: NYC has many community gardens (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Queens Botanic Garden, The High Line) that offer volunteer opportunities and workshops on sustainable gardening practices.
Volunteer with NYC Parks: The NYC Parks Department offers various volunteer programs, including tree planting, cleanups, and habitat restoration.
Participate in beach cleanups: Organizations like the Surfrider Foundation and the NYC Parks Department organize regular beach cleanups in NYC's coastal areas.
Get involved with local environmental groups: Groups like the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance offer various volunteer opportunities and campaigns.
Take part in citizen science projects: Organizations like the NYC Audubon Society and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden offer citizen science projects that allow individuals to contribute to environmental research.
Join a local recycling program: NYC's Department of Sanitation offers various recycling programs, including organics collection and textile recycling.
Support local sustainable businesses: Choose to shop at local businesses that prioritize sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. (Here's a great resource for finding them)
Advocate for environmental policy change: Contact local representatives and participate in advocacy campaigns with organizations like the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
Participate in park cleanups: Organizations like the Central Park Conservancy and the Prospect Park Alliance offer regular cleanup events.
Join a local environmental activism group: Groups like Extinction Rebellion NYC and the Sunrise Movement NYC offer opportunities for individuals to get involved in environmental activism and advocacy.

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Alli Gelles, Artist and Baker

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