In January 2007 as part of the Aspects of Humanity Artes Mundi Advance programme, we presented the film Last Supper for the first time in the UK. Last Supper by artist duo Bigert & Bergström, is an unusual and thought provoking film which explores the enduring tradition of giving condemned death row inmates a final meal of their choosing.
The tradition stems from funeral rites where the deceased person was given food on his deathbed to protect him on his journey to the afterlife. Today, the ritual of giving the last supper to the condemned person has been detached from its origin, and can be perceived to be as absurd as the punishment it accompanies. Last Supper focuses on this discrepancy between historical "meaning" and contemporary use of a tradition that has lost its connection with the past. The main character is the former death row chef Brian Price, who reconstructs one of the 200 final meals that he prepared during his time as an inmate in Huntsville State Prison, Texas, US.
Bigert & Bergström, who started their collaboration in 1990, live and work in Stockholm, Sweden. The duo’s works have been showcased in numerous exhibitions including the Singapore Biennale 2006 and the Yokohama Triennale 2001.
