FEAR EATS THE SOUL by Rirkrit Tiravanija

September 2019—March 2020

FEAR EATS THE SOUL by Rirkrit Tiravanija (b. 1961) blurs the boundaries between art and life, a key aspect of the artist’s practice that has led him at times to abandon the art object altogether in favor of creating shared, immersive experiences. In the reconfigured architecture of the Gallery building, abandoned wall frames were placed inside spaces they previously divided, keeping with Tiravanija’s instinct to invert the expected function of an interior space. The presentation offered a suite of interactive activities, including a soup kitchen serving seasonal recipes, a silk-screening T-shirt workshop, and a facsimile of the artist’s first solo gallery show in New York. The words FEAR EATS THE SOUL were spray painted by Tiravanija directly on the Gallery walls, gradually obscured over time under layers of graffiti by local artists.

Exhibition Preview

    • Fear Eats the Soul
      Rirkrit Tiravanija
      Fear Eats the Soul, 2011
      Tiravanija 2011
      Fear Eats the Soul, 2011
      mixed media
      dimensions variable
      © Rirkrit Tiravanija, 2019
      Photo: Lance Brewer and Ron Amstutz
       Lance Brewer and Ron Amstutz
      Rirkrit Tiravanija https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/TIRAr_GF_FearEatsSoul_001.jpg
    • Infraform (Cut Drawing)
      Gordon Matta-Clark
      Infraform (Cut Drawing), 1973
      Matta-Clark 1973
      Infraform (Cut Drawing), 1973
      stucco, pencil, and cut cardboard
      22 x 32 ¼ x 1 inches (56 x 82 x 3 cm)
      23 ½ x 33 ½ x 2 ¼ inches (60 x 85 x 6 cm) framed
      © 2023 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
      Photo: courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
       courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
      Gordon Matta-Clark https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MATTg_GF_Infraform.jpg
    • A W-Hole House (Rooftop)
      Gordon Matta-Clark
      A W-Hole House (Rooftop), 1973
      Matta-Clark 1973
      A W-Hole House (Rooftop), 1973
      stucco, pencil, and cut cardboard
      32 ¼ x 22 x 1 inches (82 x 56 x 3 cm) work
      33 ½ x 23 ½ x 2 inches (85 x 60 x 5 cm) framed
      © 2023 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
      Photo: courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
       courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
      Gordon Matta-Clark https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MATTg_AWHoleHouseRooftop.jpg
    • A W-Hole House (Datum Cut)
      Gordon Matta-Clark
      A W-Hole House (Datum Cut), 1973
      Matta-Clark 1973
      A W-Hole House (Datum Cut), 1973
      stucco and cut cardboard
      18 ½ x 26 ½ x 1 ¼ inches (47 x 67 x 3 cm)
      26 ¼ x 34 ⅛ x 2 ½ inches (67 x 87 x 6 cm) framed
      © 2023 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
      Photo: courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
       courtesy The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and David Zwirner
      Gordon Matta-Clark https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MATTg_AWHoleHouseDatumCut.jpg
    • Fresh Air Cart
      Gordon Matta-Clark
      Fresh Air Cart, 1972
      Matta-Clark 1972
      Fresh Air Cart, 1972
      steel, canvas, rubber, and bags of oxygen masks
      71 x 91 x 34 inches (180 x 231 x 86 cm)
      © 2023 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
      Photo: Ron Amstutz
       Ron Amstutz
      Gordon Matta-Clark https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/MATTg_GF_FreshAirCart_RA-1067x800.jpg

    Publications

    Rirkrit Tiravanija: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (2023)

    Edited by Emily Wei Rales, Nora Severson Cafritz, Daniel Mauro. Foreword by Emily Wei Rales. Introduction by Daniel Mauro. Text by Molly Nesbit, Okwui Enwezor, Gavin Brown.

    For more than 30 years, community has been central to the work of artist Rirkrit Tiravanija (b. 1961). With a keen focus on collective activities and rituals, Tiravanija frequently incorporates elements such as cooking, conversation, and art making into the immersive experiences offered by his practice. This book commemorates FEAR EATS THE SOUL (an installation by rirkrit tiravanija), at Glenstone Museum from September 26, 2019 through March 12, 2020. The participatory exhibition featured the service of fresh soup, an active T-shirt printing factory, and an evolving presentation of graffiti that unfolded across the reconfigured architecture of the museum’s Charles Gwathmey-designed building.

    Anchoring this volume are texts from Molly Nesbit, Okwui Enwezor, and Gavin Brown, offering perspectives that illuminate the artist’s conceptual grounding. The fully illustrated publication also features reflections from staff involved in its presentation, recipes of the soups served, and extensive photography of the graffiti rendered throughout the run of the show.

    Publisher: Glenstone Museum
    ISBN: 9798987425404
    Publication date: 2023
    Page count: 236

    $50.00

    Purchase Catalog
     https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Fear-Eats-The-Soul-810x1080.jpg

    News + Press

    Glenstone Museum to Open FEAR EATS THE SOUL by Rirkrit Tiravanija on September 26

    September 20, 2019
    Four crates containing metallic beer bottles are stacked below a metallic portrait of Mao Zedong in a plywood room.