Rirkrit Tiravanija
Untitled 2002 (he promised)
8-11 October 2004
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/tiravanija/index.html
An exhibition organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Four days only: October 8-11, 2004
275 Hudson Street (between Spring and Dominick Streets)
Free to the public
Presented by IN:NYC
Made possible by American Express
For information, call 212 423 3500
Rirkrit Tiravanija, Untitled 2002 (he promised), 2002
Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Untitled 2002 (he promised), 2002, is a platform for improvisation and interaction. Rendered in highly reflective stainless steel and chrome, its structure was inspired by R. M. Schindler’s residence in West Hollywood (1921-22), which exemplifies the architect’s interest in the permeability of domestic space and how it is enlivened by its surrounding context. First exhibited at the Vienna Secession for a period of two months (July 1-September 5, 2002), this large-scale installation was conceived as an arena, a nexus for a series of artistic, public, and private activities-effectively blurring the boundaries that customarily separate them. From the barbecue on opening night to Thai massages, DJ sessions, film programs, and panel discussions, Untitled 2002 (he promised) embodied the experiential nature of Tiravanija’s art, which requires the active participation of the viewer in order to be fully realized. Tiravanija is a catalyst and a gracious host, inviting the public to enter into and literally engage with his work. He provides the parameters but never dictates the outcome. The extended run of the show in Vienna allowed the work to become a central, albeit temporary, part of the community, where the ebb and flow of the social could occur. Art and life intersected in a milieu of pleasure and provocation.
For its premiere in New York, Untitled 2002 (he promised) will be exhibited for four days only. Though abbreviated, the installation period offers an intensive program schedule. Two of the four days will be 24-hours long, providing the public with unlimited access to the work and its programmed activities, as well as plenty of time for quiet contemplation. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The following schedule is subject to change. Please call (212) 423-3500 to confirm the time and nature of each day’s activities.
Friday October 8
1 PM-6 PM
Thai massage, Yoga, Pilates
6 PM-12 AM
Film program: Jack Smith, Marina Abramovic, Carolee Schneeman, Vito Acconci, etc.
12 AM-6 PM
Open performance night
12 AM-6 AM
Film program: Fassbinder festival
Saturday October 9
11 AM-11 PM
Film program: Gordon Matta-Clark, Dan Graham, Superstudio, etc.
6-8 PM
Lecture program: Storefront for Art and Architecture
Sunday October 10
11:00 AM-6:00 PM
Children’s video program
11:15 AM-12:45 PM
Music and storytelling by Jonathan Bayer
12:45 PM-5:45 PM
Face-painting and balloon animals by Moogie and James from Moogieland.com
8 PM till…
Concert: Gang Gang Dance, White Magic, Orthrealm, Animal Collective
Monday October 11
11 AM-6 PM
Film program
Rirkrit Tiravanija was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1961. After high school in Bangkok, Thailand, he studied at the Ontario School of Art in Toronto, the Banff Center School of Fine Arts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Whitney Independent Studies Program in New York. He has exhibited widely, including solo shows at Kunsthalle Basel, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Portikus, Frankfurt; and Secession, Vienna. For the 50th International Venice Biennale (2003), he co-curated Utopia Station, which has since traveled to several venues, most recently opening at the Haus der Kunst, Munich. Since 1998, Tiravanija has also been working on The Land, a large-scale collaborative and transdisciplinary project near Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tiravanija is a finalist for the 2004 Hugo Boss Prize and lives and works in New York, Bangkok, and Berlin.
Rirkrit Tiravanija, Untitled 2002 (he promised), 2002. Chrome and stainless steel, approximately 40 x 20 x 10 feet (12 x 6 x 3 meters), Installation dimensions variable. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Acquisition in progress, with funds provided the International Directors Council and American Express.
Photos courtesy Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York.