Rirkrit Tiravanija's MoMA PS1 Survey 'A LOT OF PEOPLE' Opens October 12
Rirkrit Tiravanija's participatory works, from cooking pad thai to reconstructing his apartment, critique institutional and social systems. His MoMA PS1 survey 'A LOT OF PEOPLE' (October 12–March 4) features over 100 works, including restagings of key pieces. Tiravanija's practice, rooted in Wittgenstein's 'meaning is use,' challenges museums as colonial archives. Early works like 'untitled 1987 (text in red and black)' demanded return of cultural artifacts, coinciding with Thai protests at the Art Institute of Chicago. Later works address labor exploitation, environmental degradation, and othering, as in 'untitled 2006 (palm pavilion)' at the 2006 Bienal de São Paulo. The exhibition promises demonstrations of participatory works, testing whether spontaneous response can be preserved.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'A LOT OF PEOPLE' at MoMA PS1, New York, from October 12 to March 4.
- Over 100 works by Rirkrit Tiravanija, including restagings of participatory pieces.
- Tiravanija's 'untitled 1990 (pad thai)' invites public to eat pad thai he cooks.
- 'untitled 1993 (sleep/winter)' provided straw mats and mattresses for visitors to sleep.
- 'untitled 1996 (tomorrow is another day)' reconstructed his East Village apartment with 24-hour access.
- Early work 'untitled 1987 (text in red and black)' demanded return of cultural artifacts from Art Institute of Chicago.
- Thai and Thai-American demonstrators protested at Art Institute in 1987 for return of a lintel.
- 'untitled 2006 (palm pavilion)' at 2006 Bienal de São Paulo addressed palm oil industry and colonization.
- Curator Ruba Katrib notes an audience member threw eggs during 'untitled 1992 (who comes first)'.
- Tiravanija's work references Wittgenstein's idea that 'meaning is use'.
Entities
Artists
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Elizabeth Peyton
- Jan Brueghel the Elder
- Gordon Matta-Clark
Institutions
- MoMA PS1
- Museum of Modern Art
- Art Institute of Chicago
- STPI gallery
- Bienal de São Paulo
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Cologne
- Germany
- Chicago
- Thailand
- Africa
- São Paulo
- Brazil