Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 1998

March 17th, 1998

Thai Artist Rirkrit Tiravanija Makes Travel A Work Of Art

Rirkrit Tiravanija, an internationally recognized contemporary artist from Thailand who is best known for projects and installations that incorporate everyday events such as cooking and playing music, is the subject of Museum Studies 4, presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art from April 1 through May 31, 1998. Tiravanija was invited to create a new work of art for the Museum Studies program, and he has conceived an unprecedented, six-week travelling "performance" work consisting of a month-long journey by motor-home across the United States followed by a two-week residency at the Museum. The itinerary has been developed by Tiravanija to include "quintessentially American" destinations, such as Disneyland, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Graceland, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, and Kent State University.

Joining Tiravanija for the trip will be five art students from Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand. This will be the first trip to the United States for each of the students, and Tiravanija envisions their motor-home as a moving cultural laboratory from which they will explore the country. The group's entire venture will be recorded by interactive computer technology, including a live website (www.philamuseum.org/exhibits/ontheroad/) with constant updates and video clips.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.