Rirkrit Tiravanija
Encyclopedia
Rirkrit Tiravanija is a contemporary artist residing in New York
. He was born in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
in 1961. His installations often take the form of stages or rooms for sharing meals, cooking, reading or playing music; architecture or structures for living and socializing are a core element in his work.
, London
(2005); Secession
, Vienna
(2002); and The Museum of Modern Art
, New York
(1997). He has participated in such notable group exhibitions as the Sharjah Biennial
8, United Arab Emirates
(2007); 27th São Paulo Biennial, Brazil
(2006); Whitney Biennial
2006: Day for Night, New York
(2005), and the 50th Venice Biennale
(2003).
Tiravanija has had numerous solo shows including those at The Drawing Center, New York (2008), The Museum of Modern Art
, New York (1997); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1999); Center for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu, Japan (2000); Portikus, Frankfurt (2001); Secession, Vienna (2002); Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig (2003); Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2003–04); and Gavin Brown's Enterprise (1999).
"It is not what you see that is important but what takes place between people."
and Molly Nesbit. He is also a co-founded The Land with Thai artist Kamin Lerdchaiprasert, a collaborative project in Chang Mai, Thailand, which combines contemporary art interventions and agricultural traditional values.
as exemplary of his conception of relational art
.
by the Guggenheim Museum
, "in recognition of his profound contribution to contemporary art."
.
in 1991. They separated in the late 1990s and divorced in 2004. They are both represented by Gavin Brown's Enterprise
gallery.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was born in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1961. His installations often take the form of stages or rooms for sharing meals, cooking, reading or playing music; architecture or structures for living and socializing are a core element in his work.
Early work
Tiravanija's installations of the early-1990s involved cooking meals for gallery-goers.Exhibitions
Tiravanija's work has been presented widely at museums and galleries throughout the world including solo exhibitions at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2005); Serpentine GallerySerpentine Gallery
The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, central London. It focuses on modern and contemporary art. The exhibitions, architecture, education and public programmes attract approximately 750,000 visitors a year...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(2005); Secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(2002); and The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1997). He has participated in such notable group exhibitions as the Sharjah Biennial
Sharjah Biennial
The Sharjah Biennial is a celebrated cultural event in the Arab world. It is organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation.-Early days:Since its inception in 1993, the event has formed a cultural bridge between artists, art institutions and organisations locally, regionally and internationally...
8, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(2007); 27th São Paulo Biennial, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(2006); Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
2006: Day for Night, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(2005), and the 50th Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(2003).
Tiravanija has had numerous solo shows including those at The Drawing Center, New York (2008), The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York (1997); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1999); Center for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu, Japan (2000); Portikus, Frankfurt (2001); Secession, Vienna (2002); Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig (2003); Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2003–04); and Gavin Brown's Enterprise (1999).
"It is not what you see that is important but what takes place between people."
Curatorial projects
He was the co-curator of the Station Utopia project at the 2003 Venice Biennale together with Hans Ulrich ObristHans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist is a contemporary art curator, critic and historian of art. He is currently Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London...
and Molly Nesbit. He is also a co-founded The Land with Thai artist Kamin Lerdchaiprasert, a collaborative project in Chang Mai, Thailand, which combines contemporary art interventions and agricultural traditional values.
Critical reception
Tiravanija's artwork, which explores the social role of the artist, has been regularly cited by French curator Nicolas BourriaudNicolas Bourriaud
Nicolas Bourriaud is a French curator and art critic. He co-founded, and from 1999 to 2006 was co-director of the Palais de Tokyo, Paris together with Jerôme Sans. He was also founder and director of the contemporary art magazine Documents sur l'art , and correspondent in Paris for Flash Art from...
as exemplary of his conception of relational art
Relational Art
Relational art or relational aesthetics is a mode or tendency in fine art practice originally observed and highlighted by French art critic Nicolas Bourriaud...
.
Awards
In 2004, he was awarded the Hugo Boss PrizeHugo Boss Prize
The Hugo Boss Prize is awarded every other year to an artist working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Since its establishment in 1996, it has distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on nationality or age...
by the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, "in recognition of his profound contribution to contemporary art."
Academic career
Rirkrit Tiravanija is a Professor at the School of the Arts at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Personal life
Tiravanija was married to noted painter Elizabeth PeytonElizabeth Peyton
Elizabeth Joy Peyton is an American painter who rose to popularity in the mid-1990s. She is a contemporary artist best known for stylized and idealized portraits of her close friends and boyfriends, pop celebrities, and European monarchy...
in 1991. They separated in the late 1990s and divorced in 2004. They are both represented by Gavin Brown's Enterprise
Gavin Brown's enterprise
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise is an art gallery in New York City owned by Gavin Brown.-Broome Street:The gallery was established by Gavin Brown in 1994 on Broome Street, in the west SoHo neighborhood of New York City...
gallery.