As insatiable eaters living in a gluttonous society, we enjoy planning our meals through visual aids. That’s precisely why food journalism relies so heavily on photography to elicit hunger pains and mental journeys through supermarket aisles. Recipe titles alone get my mouth watering, but the accompanying photos really drive it all home.

While the marriage of art and food is a retired concept by now, a new posse of photographers, food stylists and art directors is elevating food art to unconventional forms. I’m reminded of Irving Penn and the still life food photos he shot for Vogue. Every inanimate subject (raw fish, brie, fruit) is transformed into Cirque du Soleil acrobats. Here are some that are stretching the boundaries–or in this case, the waistbands.

Yummy Magazine
Already in its third installment, Yummy Magazine is quirky food coverage with thoughtfully-curated visuals. In the latest issue, fine art and fashion photographers Grégoire Alexandre and Jeff Vespa contributed, and graphic artist Parra illustrated four pages in his usual whimsical, pop-art style (think Soufflé du Fromage with shapely woman’s legs). Top all of it off with a detailed blueprint of Bankok’s food carts and it’s definitely coffee table appropriate.

Diner Journal
This quarterly “journal” was conceptualized by the gods of nouveau diner culture: the people behind Brooklyn’s Diner and Marlow & Sons”. It’s not as contemporary art-heavy as the others mentioned, but the down home, guerilla photography and illustration styles are alluring nevertheless. It definitely speaks to locavores and pre-industrial revolution foodies. What can I say? It’s got Williamsburg written all over it.

Swallow Magazine
Created by former Teen Vogue senior designer James Casey, this bi-annual, hard cover-bound food magazine is themed around regional culinary traditions. Its fruition is a protest against the innumerable zines/blogs that focus solely on excessive food indulgence. Swallow analyzes food in a more cerebral manner. In his interview with Eatmedaily.com, Casey reveals that the next issue will be the “Trans-Siberian issue—the train from Moscow to Beijing.”

Image: Yummy magazine