The Universe Tastes Like Blueberries

While gazing up at the sky one afternoon, Ben Tong had a thought: the universe tastes like blueberries. It felt like a transmission from elsewhere, a revelation. The notion is not so far-fetched; astronomers have confirmed that a dust cloud at the centre of the Milky Way is made up of ethyl formate, which is responsible for the flavour of raspberries. This feels like the process of much of Tong’s work: a kind of open receiving accompanied by curious investigation, translated through paint. In turn, the paintings (and the artist) hold a quality of listening: they are alive, both perceptive and perceiving, yet hover in a moment of stillness.