Rirkrit Tiravanija, magazine station no.5, Artspace NZ

ARTSPACE is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija in New Zealand.

Tiravanija will be in Auckland to launch magazine station no. 5 and is bringing two young Thai artists, Pratchaya Phinthong and Pattara Chanruechachai to work on the project.

Since the 1990s Rirkrit Tiravanija's work has had a profound influence on contemporary art: "He is arguably the most influential artist of his generation. He has transformed the notion of conceptual art by taking his environments out of the museum to the ends of the earth, literally. He has travelled extensively for the last decade and has been a great mentor and teacher to many students all over the world." says celebrated curator Laura Hopton.

From raw to cooked, ARTSPACE will be filled with diverse cultural and community activity: talks, performances, workshops, debates, meals, conversations, fashion shows, interviews, film viewings and games.

Visitors to the gallery are invited to participate in creating material for the 5th issue of Ver magazine, a publishing venture developed by Rirkrit Tiravanija and Plan b. in Bangkok in 2002. Previous editions of Ver have been made in Tokyo, Milan, Oslo and Berlin.

Local participation in Ver magazine is strong, designer Nick Spratt will create the layout and the magazine will be published in New Zealand. This unique issue of Ver magazine will travel with the project around the world until all copies are distributed.

Rirkrit Tiravanija

Rirkrit Tiravanija was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1961. 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 developed significant projects for the Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sydney Biennale and Venice Biennale, to name but a few from an extensive list of group, and one-person shows in Asia, Europe, and North America.

He lives and works in New York and Chiangmai.

Rirkrit Tiravanija magazine station no. 5, Artspace, NZ Exhibition Dates: 6th August - 6 September

For more information please contact Annie Bradley on +64 9 3034965 or email media@artspace.org.nz ARTSPACE receives major funding from Creative New Zealand Media release: ARTSPACE 29/07/08