Rirkrit Tiravanija included in The National Pavilion of Qatar at the Venice Biennale

The National Pavilion of Qatar has announced that Rirkrit Tiravanija will bring together a group of musicians, poets, chefs, and artists from the Arab world for its exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale. The show, Untitled (a gathering of remarkable people), is being cocurated by Tom Eccles, executive director of Center for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, and Ruba Katrib, chief curator and director of curatorial affairs, at New York’s MoMA PS1. It will occupy a tent in the Giardini on the future site of Qatar’s new permanent pavilion, which is being designed by Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh.

Building on Tiravanija’s years-long practice of inviting collaborators to share ideas and a meal, the exhibition will feature a film by Qatari-American artist Sophia Al-Maria, live performances organized by Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui and inspired by the takht (classical Arabic orchestra) and the wasla (a musical suite or sequence), a large-scale sculpture by Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid, and a culinary program of Middle Eastern cuisine put together by Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan and highlighting chefs from the MENA region.