b. Toronto, Canada
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
studio@estherchoi.net
Esther M. Choi’s work as a multidisciplinary artist explores how systems of representation shape our understanding of nature, history, and cultural value. Her work draws on her background in photography and architectural history and theory. It spans photography, video, socially-engaged practice, and publications.
Le Corbuffet (Prestel, 2019), Choi’s conceptual cookbook about cultural consumption, was a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Photography Award. In 2024, her photographs for T: The New York Times Style Magazine were nominated for an ASME National Magazine Award. Her writing has appeared in Artforum, Harvard Design Magazine, Perspecta, Art Papers, and SSENSE, and books such as Hippie Modernism (Walker Art Centre), Reaper (JRP Ringier), and Radical Pedagogies (MIT Press). She is the coeditor of Architecture at the Edge of Everything Else (MIT Press) and Architecture Is All Over (Columbia U).
In 2020, Choi launched Office Hours, a socially-engaged project in the form of an online “school” that gathered the participation of thousands of cultural workers representing the global majority in over thirty countries. She also created Public Service (2024–25), a spin-off YouTube series featuring notable BIPOC artists, designers, and storytellers in conversations about catalyzing cultural and social change.
Choi holds a joint PhD from Princeton University, a MDes from Harvard Graduate School of Design, a MFA from Concordia University, and a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2022, she was a Getty/ ACLS Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Art. She has held teaching appointments at OCAD University, The Cooper Union, and other institutions.
Her projects have been supported by the Ford Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, American Council of Learned Societies, Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Graham Foundation, Society of Architectural Historians, Harvard University, and Princeton University, among others.
Press
Gabrielle Chua, “Five Artists Who are Also Masters in the Kitchen,” Tatler Asia (June 2022)
Pei-Ru Keh, “This is America: 15 diverse design practices shine in Milan,” Wallpaper (June 2, 2021)
Jess Meyers, “In Conversation: Esther Choi,” Dwell Magazine (Sept/ Oct. 2021): 44–48.
Leilah Stone, “Low Ego, High Impact: Six Initiatives Model Design Justice,” Metropolis (July/ Aug. 2021): 118–31.
Wanda Lau, “Esther Choi: Courage is a Muscle,” (Interview), Architect Magazine, 2021
Mateo Sancho Cardiel, “Racismo y fluidez de género en el mundo del diseño y arquitectura,” El Pais. (May 17, 2021)
Jack Balderamma Morley, "Second Season of Esther Choi's Office Hours Promises More Opportunities for Young BIPOC Designers." Arch Daily. 2021
Jack Balderamma Morley, "The Second Season of Office Hours Promises More Opportunities for Young BIPOC designers." The Architect's Newspaper. (March 4, 2021)
Mimi Zeiger, “It’s Time to Abolish the Architecture Critic,” Dezeen (March 1, 2021)
Daniel Beatty Garcia, “Confinement Kitchen,” 032c (Feb. 8, 2021)
Paula Rebuelta, “Le Corbuffet de Esther Choi. Recetario artístico para comer arquitectura,” Room Diseño (Nov. 13, 2020)
Editors, “Office Hours is shifting the landscape for BIPOC creatives,” Architizer (Oct. 23, 2020)
Charu Suri, “A Grassroots Mentorship Program Aims to Break Down Design Industry Barriers,” Architectural Digest (Oct. 19, 2020)
Ophelia Lai, “Le Corbuffet,” AsianArtPacific 119 (July/ Aug. 2020)
Michael Snyder, “Still Life with Fly Swatter or Hourglass, or Lemons,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine (May 12, 2020)
Mona Bavar, “Rethinking Our Neoliberal Society Through Edible Art,” (Interview), Dlish Magazine (May 2, 2020)
Emily O’Brien, “Ink on Paper,” Modern In Denver (Spring 2020): 58–59.
J.J. Charlesworth, “All You Can Read,” Art Review (March 30, 2020)
Chris Cohen, “10 Things We Learned from the Season’s Best Books,” Saveur (March 20, 2020)
Whitney Mallett, “Meet Esther Choi: Artist and Author of Subversive Cookbook Le Corbuffet.” (Interview), PIN-UP Magazine (Feb. 2020)
Daniel Beatty Garcia, “Punishable: Esther Choi Eats Our Idols,” 032c, no. 27 (Winter 2019/20): 292–93.
Kay Schadewald, “Le Corbuffet: (Koch-)Kunst und Kritik,” Architectural Design (Ger.) (Jan. 19, 2020)
Eleanor Gibson, “Le Corbuffet cookbook includes recipes for Rem Brûlée and Denise Scott
Brownies,” Dezeen (Jan. 8, 2020)
Joshua David Stein, “The Best Gifts for Cooking Dads of All Levels,” Epicurious (Dec. 13, 2019)
“AN rounds up our must-reads for this fall,” The Architect’s Newspaper (Nov. 15, 2019)
“41 of the Year’s Most Giftable Coffee-Table Books,” New York Magazine (Nov. 12, 2019)
Margaux Krehl, “Art de vivre: Le Corbuffet, le livre de recettes qui cuisine les stars de l’Art,”
Vanity Fair (France) (Nov. 9, 2019)
Peter Smisek, “Food for Thought,” Icon Magazine (Nov. 1, 2019)
Aileen Kwun, “Esther Choi’s Edible Homages to Le Corbusier, Agnes Martin, and Others,” Slowdown Media (Oct. 26, 2019)
Todd Plummer, “11 Fall Cookbooks for Every Type of Foodie.” Vogue (Oct. 16, 2019)
LinYee Yuan, “Le Corbuffet is a riotous homage to the art and design of cooking” (Interview), MOLD Magazine (Oct. 5, 2019)
Kelly Caminero, “Edible Art: A Menu of Satire and Photography with a Culinary Twist” (Interview), The Daily Beast (Oct. 5, 2019)
Anne Quito, “Le Corbuffet: A new recipe book affectionately skewers culture snobs,” Quartzy (Oct. 4, 2019)
Alexandra Alexa, “This Conceptual Cookbook Riffs on Art, Design and Taste (Literally and Figuratively,” Core 77 (Oct. 2, 2019)
“Le Corbuffet: Edible Art and Design Classics,” Creative Colour (Oct. 1, 2019)
Angie Kordic, “An Art Cookbook Like No Other,” (Interview), Widewalls (Oct. 1, 2019)
Pamela Thomas-Graham, “Best New Books,” Dandelion Chandelier (Sept. 22, 2019)
“Esther Choi’s Book of Satirical and Playful Recipes,” Design Milk (Sept. 26, 2019)
Emma Orlow, “A Salad for Frida Kahlo and Other Artist-Inspired Recipes,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine (Sept. 20, 2019) Web.
Alegria Olmeda, “Le Corbuffet o cómo comerse el arte,” FUET Magazine (Sept. 9, 2019)
Holly Black, “Let’s Eat! Delicious Art-Inspired Recipes,” Elephant Magazine (Aug. 25, 2019)
Valentina Tanni, “Arte e cibo. Arriva Le Corbuffet, il ricettario concettuale di Esther Choi,” Artribune (Aug. 25, 2019)
A Conceptual Cookbook Makes Food Into Sculptures,” Artnet News (Aug. 23, 2019)
Kate Sierzputowski, “Le Corbuffet: Conceptual Cookbook Presents Art-Inspired Recipes as Contemporary Sculptures,” Colossal (Aug. 22, 2019)
Jason Kottke, “Le Corbuffet,” Kottke (Aug. 20, 2019)
“Critical Connoisseur” (Interview), Block Magazine, issue 18 (Spring/ Summer 2019): 16–17.
Robert Wiesenberger, Review of Architecture is All Over, Art Papers (Winter 2017/2018)
Matthew Scribner, “What is happening to architecture?” Concordia Magazine (Jan. 22, 2018)
Sammy Medina, “The Architecture Book Is Alive but Evolving,” Metropolis (Dec. 2017)
Kristina Ljubanovic, “It Was All a Dream,” Globe and Mail (Nov. 2, 2017)
Mollie Claypool, “Architecture Is All Over,” The Journal of Architecture, vol. 22, issue 7 (Sept. 2017): 2162–65.
Christopher Hawthorne, “Two decades after Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao, where does Architecture stand?” Los Angeles Times (Oct. 12, 2017).
Sammy Medina, “Is Architecture Finished? Depends on How You Define It.” Metropolis, vol. 36, issue 11 (2017): 162-65.
Jan Kattein, “Made in Architecture: Education as collaborative practice,” Architectural Research Quarterly, vol. 19, issue 3 (2015): 295–306.
Janice Lindsay, “Why Walls are made for murals,” Globe and Mail (Feb.2, 2008)
“Jeanie Riddle shakes things up and causes stuff to shift at the Parisian Laundry,” Zeke’s Gallery (April 28, 2005)
Terrence Dick, “Three Short Essays on Growing Up,” Fuse Magazine (May 2002)
John Gemmell, “Metalheads Are People Too,” The Eye Opener (Sept. 19, 2001)