Visual Catharsis For Uncertain Times ‘Is It Cake?’
I doubt that even Netflix expected “Is It Cake?” to be such a hit.
The premise, if you haven’t already binged the TV series, involves professional bakers trying to fool judges by creating cakes that don’t look like dessert but instead appear to be everyday commodities – purses, toys, fast food.
But while most critics see this as just another iteration of mindless TV, I see “Is It Cake?” as deeply tied to a cultural moment in which deception – and learning how to recognize it – has become a part of everyday life.
A show like “Is It Cake?” offers a safe way for viewers to test their capacity to spot a fake. This may seem like a stretch; cake and conspiracy are hardly the same thing.
Yet as an art historian who researches the history of visual deception, I’ve noticed that throughout Ameri...