Bamboo maze planned for commission at National Gallery Singapore
The National Gallery Singapore has revealed that international artist Rirkrit Tiravanija has been chosen for the second installment of its roof garden commission series, with a project featuring a bamboo maze and a wooden tea house at its center.
Tiravanija -- who was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Thailand, Ethiopia and Canada -- is known for large-scale works that engage audiences: in past shows, he has cooked Thai meals for gallery patrons, created walk-in (and even live-in) replicas of his East Village apartment, and welcomed visitors to assemble an expansive puzzle depicting Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People."
Opening January, his commission for the National Gallery Singapore draws from regional materials, craft and architecture. With its interactive approach, it will invite visitors to rediscover Southeast Asian traditions, as they navigate the large bamboo maze, participate in tea ceremonies by local and international tea masters, and attend monthly performances that will feature among a diverse range of programs.
The Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series invites leading international artists to create site-specific installations for its roof garden exhibition space, which spans 3,000 square meters and features a five-meter-tall vertical green wall, all overlooking the Civic District. The series was inaugurated last year with a series of new sculptures by Vietnamese-born Danish artist Danh Vo.
Rirkrit Tiravanija's roof garden commission will be on display from January 24 through October 28, 2018.
