You may be wondering, as you read this article, “didn’t their mothers ever teach them not to play with their food?” But reserve judgment until you see the absolute masterpieces that the following artists have managed to create from simple foods you can find in the kitchen. By the end, you’ll be wishing you had disobeyed that rule more often!

Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann: Food Play

(via: flickr)

If there were ever two people who didn’t listen to their mothers they would be Elffers and Freymann. The collaborators have written over a dozen books together, all of them tackling the subject of playing with your food and turning everyday fruits and vegetables into incredibly cute animals and anthropomorphic characters. All their creations are appropriate for all ages and may help you feed your kids broccoli and other pesky greens!

Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle – Microsculptures

(via: artnet)

The husband and wife team of Javelle and Ida have made a name for themselves with their spectacular series of diptych photographs. Through these photographs they have managed to create a whole new micro universe in the vein of candyland (or foodland, or dessertland). The entire collection currently stands at 60 such photographs varying from work, leisure, sports, and war-related scenes.

Carl Warner – Foodscapes

(source: carlwarner)

Photographer Carl Warner’s tools are similar to those of Ida and Javelle, but rather than focus on the foreground, he goes to great lengths to use fruits, vegetables, and anything else he can find in his kitchen to create stunning landscapes… or foodscapes! The photographs look absolutely stunning, and for someone who was unaware that this is ‘food art‘ they might not even acknowledge that everything is in fact made from edible items. Beware, however, you cannot eat these sets because of the excessive amounts of glue and pins needed to put them together.

Amazingly Creative Bento Art

(via: justinspace)

While the concept of Bento, a common Japanese cuisine that comes in a single-portion home-packaged take out meal, is very much like the lunch your mom pack for you before you left for school, the similarities end there. The Japanese have taken the art of Bento boxes to incredible heights. The results are nothing short of complex and visually appealing displays that are often so beautiful that you just don’t want to eat them and wish you could preserve them forever. In fact, in Japan, contests are often held where people compete for the best designed arrangements, which range from celebrities, pets and animals, characters from popular culture, and more.