On Instagram, we first think we see an unlit ashtray, filled with crumpled cigarette butts stained with lipstick. Then we discover that it is a dessert signed by a Ukrainian designer based in Paris. Alina Prokopenko maintains this blur between disgust and envy with care.
Trained at Ferrandi Paris after studying law, art history and photography, she quickly moved away from classic pastry making. , she explains to France 3. For her, each bite must also be an image and a story.
An edible ashtray that turns an everyday gesture
The starting point remains an everyday object: the ashtray, a small container intended to receive ashes and cigarette butts, omnipresent on café tables. With her edible ashtray, she transforms this symbol of smoke and waste into a delicate, almost wise dessert.
His room imitates a gray ashtray filled with cigarette butts, while he hides a lemon meringue pie. The inspiration comes from Parisian terraces; , she confides. Published on Instagram, these images are going around the network: .
Edible lipstick, dessert oyster and butter computer
The series is born around this gesture: worn ashtray, edible lipstick, gently transformed oyster. The dark chocolate oyster contains a panna cotta whose texture is reminiscent of shellfish flesh; , says Alina Prokopenko. A computer made of butter, molded in 3D, extends this game; .
The big fashion houses are quickly taking over this world. For Balenciaga or Miu Miu, she imagines monochrome buffets, televisions or telephones transformed into cakes. On a project around perfume, she designs appetizers and assorted drinks; , she specifies.
Studio Apris, passport to chew and art of confusing the senses
Behind these images, there is a structure, Studio Apris. , smiles Alina Prokopenko. A small, moving team revolves around her. , she said, closer to the film set than to the restaurant.
Some pieces have a more intimate dimension. His edible passport, imagined as a document, evokes his journey from Ukraine to France; , she explains. In this universe, a simple edible ashtray or a stick of lipstick becomes a pretext to talk about identity, clichés and our relationship to images.
What is an edible ashtray at Alina Prokopenko?
For Alina Prokopenko, the edible ashtray is a trompe-l’oeil tart that imitates an ashtray filled with cigarette butts, while remaining a perfectly edible lemon meringue dessert.
Who is Alina Prokopenko and what is her background?
Born in Kyiv, based in Paris, she studied law, art history and photography before training at Ferrandi Paris and founding her Studio Apris.
Where can you see Alina Prokopenko’s edible ashtrays and lipsticks?
His pieces appear during collaborations with fashion houses, exhibitions, culinary pop-ups, and on his Instagram accounts and website, true showcases of his work.
