RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA

"Untitled" 2005 (the air between the chain-link fence and the broken bicycle wheel)
Glass and stainless-steel structure with transmitter; wood structure with
receiver and furniture; DVD player and two monitors; two antennas; and wallpaper
Courtesy Gavin Brown's enterprise, New York

Installation view "Hugo Boss Prize, 2004" Guggenheim Museum, New York

The Tao Of Tiravanija by John LeKay

Wu Wei is a Taoist concept, usually translated as action through non-action. The actual meaning is closer to avoid not interfering in the natural course and flow of events, letting the cosmos decide by mastering the skill of listening to the universe.  Only in this way is it possible to follow and become one with nature, and indeed all things become simple, if the flow of nature is followed.

The best translation is minimal action or action only within the Tao. The Taoist sage, Lau Tzu expressed in the Tao Te Ching  that somebody who was on the path of the Tao, only acted when the time was exactly right, and did it in a way that was totally minimal, yet totally decisive because the actions followed the course of the Tao.  Nobody would have even realized that he acted, because his action was in accord with nature.

There is a story Chung Tzu used to illustrate. He described a butcher, who was so practiced in the art, and knew the anatomy of his stock so well, that whenever he made a cut, the meat immediately cleaved all the way through with one stroke. The butcher never needed to sharpen his cleaver, because it always cleaved through with the first stroke, and never encountered anything to dull it. This is Wu Wei in a nutshell; action that is minimal and seemingly requires the least effort, but yet at the same time is totally effective and encounters no resistance

Rikrit has a way of working that has similarities with Gabriel Orozco’s clothes drying lint sculpture.  Rirkrit's work just seems to happen naturally and with effortless effort.    We recently met up for a lunch interview to discuss his work and ways of combining our magazine efforts at helping raise awareness and money for orphans in Thailand. 

Rirkrit's  "O Ver Magazine" is based out of Bangkok. A large formatted mostly photographic magazine with no text and mostly images, with an implanted DVD  with interviews and music.

As all this was going on,  Mary Barone, , art consultant, curator, photographer for artnet.com "Out with Mary" and heyoka magazine accompanied me and joined us for lunch and was talking to Dodi while  also graciously taking some pictures for this article, but later found out her flash was not working. This is also the way of the Tao.  Happy accidents and going with the flow of it.            

                    

                                      Calvin Tompkins                                            Rikrit Tiravanija                       Dodie Kazanjian, Rikrit Tiravanija, John LeKay

 

 

 

Photographs by Mary Barone

Heyoka Magazine / artnet "Out with Mary"   www.artnet.com 

Gavin Brown's enterprise:  gallery@gavinbrown.biz