Rirkrit Tiravanija's Soup/No Soup at Paris Triennale 2012

On 7 April 2012, the Grand Palais in Paris hosted a twelve-hour free banquet of tom ka soup by Rirkrit Tiravanija, titled Soup/No Soup (2011/12), preceding the opening of 'La Triennale 2012: Intense Proximity'. Curated by Okwui Enwezor, the exhibition explored hostility and hospitality, with Tiravanija's performance referencing the 'soupe identitaire' controversy—pork soup served by far-right group Bloc Identitaire to exclude Muslims and Jews. The work, first shown at Gavin Brown's enterprise in New York in 2011, gained new meaning in Paris amid debates on national identity. Enwezor described the soup as a 'Trojan Horse' against unwanted foreigners. The exhibition extended beyond the Grand Palais to multiple venues, with the Palais de Tokyo as primary site, featuring Tiravanija's 9-meter-high text 'FEAR EATS THE SOUL' from Fassbinder's 1974 film. Ethnography was a key theme, with works by Carrie Mae Weems, Jean Rouch, Pauline Boudry/Renate Lorenz, and others. The triennale juxtaposed historical ethnographic documents with contemporary art to critique objectification and colonial legacies.