Rirkrit Tiravanija

Rirkrit Tiravanija (b. 1961 in Argentina, Buenos Aires) residing in New York City, Berlin, and Chiangmai, Thailand is a Thai contemporary artist. 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.

For his first solo exhibition in London, Tiravanija created a full-scale, fully functioning replica of his New York apartment, complete with furnished kitchen, bathroom, reception room and bedroom, available for visitors to use. Along with the replica apartment, a broadcasting studio was also installed within the Serpentine Gallery, from which a serialized radio programme about the artist’s life was transmitted live on a daily basis.

Tiravanija’s work, like this installation, crosses the boundaries between sculpture, installation and performance. Acting as a catalyst, Tiravanija created situations in which the divisions between art and life were removed. He often cited ‘lots of people’ as a key element, making reference to the improvisational nature of his work and his desire for it to be used.