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A pattern of small, colourful flowers in red, yellow, white and pink is printed across a series of 3D cubes. The floral design continues seamlessly across the surfaces, creating a kaleidoscopic effect.

Sandy Skoglund's very contemporary 1970s foodie still life photography

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Date
1 May 2012

As well as being the first woman to fill entire rooms with smartie-covered mannequins and to re-floor rooms with eggshells and live snakes, artist Sandy Skoglund can also boast being the catalyst for a current mega-trend in art and design.

We’re all aware by now that artistic fads on the internet last for about three weeks then are casually tossed aside like an old Geocities account, but some stick around for longer. The prevalence of still-life photography kicking about the internet is extraordinary, and it’s often brilliant. Look at a lot of it and you learn to separate the genii from the people who have whacked a patterned object on a vintage rug.

Sandy Skoglund’s fine art photography in the late 1970s – before internet, digital cameras and blogs – wouldn’t look out of place on any contemporary still-life photography blog now, 34 years later. Three cheers for Sandy for being one hell of a trend-prophet and a revolutionary photographer.

A square bar of pink marbled soap sits in the centre of a yellow marble surface. The soap has a swirled, textured appearance in varying shades of red and pink.
Above

Luncheon Meat on a Counter, ©1978 Sandy Skoglund

A plate of chocolate-drizzled biscuits sits on a brightly coloured, checked tablecloth. The plate and the fabric both feature a matching grid pattern in blue, yellow and green.
Above

Cookies on a Plate, ©1978 Sandy Skoglund

A red and white polka-dot plate sits on a matching patterned tablecloth. A neat square of green peas is arranged in the centre of the plate.
Above

Peas on a Plate, © 1978 Sandy Skoglund

Nine slices of marbled chocolate and vanilla cake are arranged in a square grid. They sit against a blue and purple marbled background.
Above

Nine Slices of Marble Cake, ©1978 Sandy Skoglund

A yellow fabric with a repeating floral pattern of small white and red blossoms. The material is folded into a neat square on a matching surface.
Above

Yellow Box, ©1978 Sandy Skoglund

Two red plates filled with yellow corn kernels sit on a blue fabric. The cloth is covered in a dense pattern of small yellow dots.
Above

Two Plates of Corn, ©1978 Sandy Skoglund

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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