2002.5.25 [Sat] - 8.15 [Thu]

Rirkrit Tiravanija (1961-) was born in Buenos Aires and lived in Ethiopia, Thailand, Canada and the United States with his father, a diplomat. experiencing a range of cultures. For Tiravanija, everyday rituals such as eating meals, cooking, encounters and conversations are keys to understanding different cultures. They are "Art". Tiravanija prepared and served Thai-style fried noodles to visitors in museums and galleries, and these performances, which softened the serious expressions of those who look at contemporary art, suddenly made him the darling of the art world. For over a decade since, Tiravanija has continued to present the ordinary and the everyday at exhibition venues and to expand the concept of contemporary art.

"Untitled, 2002 (the raw and the cooked)" all photo (c) KIOKU Keizo click here

In this exhibition, Tiravanija's first solo exhibition in a Japanese gallery, the artist presents the everyday rituals of ordinary people with a focus on "food culture" in an art venue, but nothing in the exhibition can actually be eaten. In the installation, the principal work in this exhibition, food samples as seen in the display windows of restaurants, instant foods, snacks and canned drinks are laid out on an 18 meter table to create a setting for a typical meal that is all too familiar to us Japanese.

"Untitled (Bon voyage, Monsieur Ackermann)" 1995 Courtesy: Gallery Side 2

In addition, gallery visitors can also view footage of the production process of "food samples", an industry unique to Japan. The process of creating plastic Thai-style fried noodles "Pad Thai" is demonstrated in the format of a TV cooking program.

"Untitled /1999 (Mobile Home)" Courtesy: Gavin Brown's enterprise Foundation "la Caixa", Barcelona, Spain "Untitled 1999 (Mobile Home)" Courtesy: Gavin Brown's enterprise Foundation "la Caixa", Barcelona, Spain

Visitors can also access Tiravanija's Internet magazine "oVer Channel" at the Gallery and view events that are taking place on a daily basis as part of SUMIDA RIVER MODE EXHIBITION : "Untitled, 2002 (demo station no. 3)", another of Tiravanija's projects being held simultaneously at the Sumida River Side Gallery.

"Untitled 2000 (Over Office)" Courtesy: Gallery Side 2

Information Dates: 25 May [Sat] - 15 August [Thu] 2002 Opening Hours: 12:00 - 20:00 (to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, entry up to 30 minutes before closing) Closed: Mondays (Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday) Admission: Adults 900 (700) yen / Senior High School and University students 700 (550) yen / Junior High and Elementary School students 500 (400) yen * Admission fee includes entry into the "Raymond Pettibon | Plots Laid Thick", Terada Gallery and Project N.; ( ) indicates group admission fee for over 15 people. * Discount for late entry, senior citizens and children on weekends. Please ask for details. Sponsors : Nippon Life Insurance Company / NTT Urban Development Co., / Odakyu electric Railway Co.,Ltd. / Dai-Ichi Mutual life Insurance Cooperation : Asahi Breweries, Ltd. For further information: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery Tel. +81-3-5353-0756