You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the United States.

For three years I traveled around the country exploring food issues. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits.

A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, "May I photograph the interior of your fridge?" to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed "as is." Nothing added, nothing taken away.

These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one's life.

My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land.

You are what you eat has been used by several organizations and universities as a center piece for dialog about food issues. if interested in finding out more information about bringing the exhibit to your community, please contact me.

"You Are What You Eat is a relevant contemporary portrait revealing the varied lifestyles and issues within our American culture with just one object, and one perspective. Look close and you will see far...

In looking at the work, I was rewarded with questions, revelations, and self-inquiry; all key ingredients that make up a strong, layered, smart and stimulating photographic project. I really admired how this body of work invites the viewer to contemplate identity and by doing so, uncovers the role of food in constructing who we are as individuals and a society. The project contains everything my hungry eyes want: it's conceptual, timely, narrative, commercial, documentary, and thought provoking.

You Are What You Eat uncovers truth in the way only photography can, and in doing so, reveals us. Looking into the refrigerators sheds light on how we choose to nourish or malnourish ourselves and exposes how connected or disconnected we are to each other, to our bodies, and to the Earth."

– Laura Wzorek, Programs Director, center