Italian artist and world champion carving designer, Daniele Barresi, has made a name for himself carving exquisite sculptures out of everyday fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.
A pastry chef by trade, the Sydney-based artist’s sculptures range in subject from exotic birds to filigree to mythical creatures, but one thing his pieces have in common is their immense creativity.
Barresi started carving at the age of 7 and describes his own process as “like magic.”
“When I touch my knife, my mind gives up to the heart and transmits directly to the hands, giving different forms to the decorations,” Barresi, 30, wrote for Bored Panda.
His delicate carvings—for which he uses knives, scalpels, peelers, and melon ballers—respect the scale and texture of each piece of food, sometimes incorporating skins and stones for depth and contrast.
While some retain an edible quality, others appear transformed into timeless art.
While the art itself will perish, Barresi’s handiwork is immortalized in photos that he shares on his Instagram page.
With a nod to the millennial avocado trend, Barresi gained huge media attention for a series of sculptures rendered in avocado.
Carving impossible details into the soft buttery flesh, the artist uses the stone and dark green skin as artistic accents.
Each piece can take hours, yet Barresi justified the time commitment to My Modern Met with an old Italian saying:
“If you love what you are doing, it doesn’t matter how long it is going to take, because you will enjoy the whole time you are doing it.”
For his unique portfolio, Barresi was named World Champion Carving Designer of the WACS Championship in both 2013 and 2014. He was invited back the following year to be a judge.
“Carving is a peace of mind for me,” he told My Modern Met. “I have always loved anything related to arts, and the kitchen, so carving gave me the possibility to match both of them.”
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