What is Nothing is Edible: The Mini Mart?

Nothing is Edible: The Mini Mart is an interactive installation created by Julie Nguyen, aka fakecakery, a student at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The installation consists of a "convenience store" setting where none of the products in the space are food, but rather functional sculptures. There are many interactive elements throughout the space, inviting visitors to browse, shop, and leave reviews.

Meet the artist!

Nice to meet you! My name is Julie and I'm an artist and entrepreneur that loves all things food! Growing up, I always wanted to be a baker, but after being professionally trained and working in the industry, I realized that the culinary industry wasn't as glamorous of a lifestyle I thought it was. I was mostly self-taught on how to make videos and had built a somewhat successful YouTube channel at the time, so I decided to apply to MassArt and pursue a career in the film industry. About a year into MassArt, I had accidentally started a cake sculpture business and that has been my full-time job ever since. 

Why Nothing is Edible?

Why did I create this installation? At its surface, I wanted to recreate the same excitement and joy that I had while playing with fake food as a child. I took a lot of inspiration from similar concepts such as the Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee's and Meow Wolf's Omega Mart, and create an interactive experience that can be enjoyed by all ages! 

Digging deeper, Nothing is Edible was created out of a desire to be a better artist. I'm in a unique position to be in as an entrepreneur and full-time college student, and there's a lot of discussion in both spaces revolving around money and art. As aspiring artists begin to take their craft more seriously, I see a desire to make art more accessible and the art world itself more inviting. However, there is also a big emphasis on building confidence in charging your worth when it comes to the business space. How can we balance both as artists that monetize our work? 

With a business name like Fake Cakery, I felt restricted to the branding when it came to making art. The business was started as a hobby, but it became more serious as the demand grew, and I started to feel like I couldn't try other ideas because as my main source of income, it was a big risk. As I started to push more and more ideas to the side, I needed to create a new outlet, and Nothing is Edible was born first as a video piece and later, an installation.