Rirkrit Tiravanija:
Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours
Rirkrit Tiravanija:
Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours
This programme is exclusively available to Festival Pass and Day Pass holders. Admission is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
After retiring from a life of rice farming in a small village in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, Lung Neaw returns to his homeland, far removed from the political turmoil of Bangkok. Through Rirkrit Tiravanija’s lens, we follow Neaw as he moves through forests and open fields, fishing, hunting, and spending time with his neighbours. His interactions with the local sage, the elephant king, and his fellow villagers foster an open space for dialogue, free from bias and judgement.
Tiravanija explains, ‘We have to ask, “What more can one want when one is already living in Paradise?” In this moment when many people are asking for equality, opportunity, self-determination, and for democracy in the hands of the people, in Lung Neaw we find both answers and questions to these demands. We find it in the sustenance of self-awareness and sufficiency, and in compassion and humility, we find it in the narrative of the real and of the simplicity of each day.’
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
About the Artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija (b. 1961, Argentina) is a pioneer of relational aesthetics since the 1990s. He is best known for his participatory installations and cooking performances that revolve around personal stories and shared cultural traditions. He also creates text-based works as well as installations, and films inspired by sociopolitical observations. Tiravanija’s work has been presented and collected by major art institutions around the world, including M+.
Portrait of Rirkrit Tiravanija, 2021. Photo by Daniel Dorsa, courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Image at top: Rirkrit Tiravanija. Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours, 2011. Photo: Courtesy of the artist