Volume 6, Issue 2

Abstract

Artists interrupting or intervening in art museum displays with food as a medium or theme is a distinct strand of contemporary art practice. In this article, we travel through fragments of the history of food-art with a few examples of different genres and forms, demonstrating that art history can be explained in other ways than through the already recognized art genres. Based on my experience in-person with (), an interpretation of Tiravanija’s ephemeral work is provided using the model of communicative action theorized by Habermas, which was first applied to contemporary art by art scholar Grant Kester (2004). Tiravanija’s practice uses food to create situations for communicative actions to happen and is an approach to institutional critique. The last section provides a critical account against Bishop’s criticism of Tiravanija, arguing that Bishop’s understanding of art is based on instrumental rationality. On the other hand, Tiravanija’s approach is based on value rationality and is a more timely approach in the contemporary context of late-stage capitalism.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jaws_00021_1
2020-09-01
2024-03-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Alberro, A., and Stimson, B.. (eds) ( 2009), Institutional Critique: An Anthology of Artists’ Writings, Cambridge, MA and London:: The MIT Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Anon. ( 1998), MATRIX 137-Mierle Laderman Ukeles, exhibition catalogue , Hartford, CT:: Wadsworth Atheneum;, http://www.thewadsworth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Matrix-137.pdf. Accessed 26 May 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bishop, C.. ( 2012), Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship, , original ed.., London and New York:: Verso;.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bishop, C.. ( 2017;), ‘ Claire Bishop’s “Participation and spectacle: Where are we now?”. ’, YouTube , 20 March, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvXhgAmkvLs&ab_channel=CreativeTime. Accessed 6 November 2020.
  5. Bourriaud, N.. ( 1998), Relational Aesthetics, Dijon:: Les Presse Du Reel;.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bröcker, F.,, Käsmayr, A., and Reinmann, R.. ( 2017;), ‘ Food as a medium between art and cuisine: Rirkrit Tiravanija’s gastronomic installations. ’, in N. van der Meulen, and J. Wiesel. (eds), Culinary Turn: Aesthetic Practice of Cookery, Bielefeld:: Transcript Verlag;, pp. 17388, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1wxt0c.27. Accessed 6 March 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Carmody, B., and Moran, R.. ( 2021;), ‘ Dark Mofo cancels blood-soaked flag artwork. ’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March, https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/dark-mofo-cancels-blood-soaked-flag-artwork-20210323-p57dbi.html. Accessed 9 April 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Farr, A.. ( 2020;), ‘ Herbert Marcuse. ’, in E. N. Zalta. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford, CA:: Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University;, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/marcuse/. Accessed 30 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Finkelpearl, T.. ( 2014;), ‘ Participatory art. ’, in M. Kelly. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, , 2nd ed.., New York:: Oxford University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Fraser, A.. ( 2005;), ‘ From the critique of institutions to an institution of critique. ’, Artforum, 44:1, pp. 27884.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Fraser, A.. ( 2008;), ‘ Procedural matters: The art of Michael Asher. ’, Artforum, 46:10, https://www.artforum.com/print/200806/procedural-matters-the-art-of-michael-asher-20388. Accessed 10 March 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Habermas, J.. ( 1973;), ‘ What does a crisis mean today? Legitimation problems in late capitalism. ’, Social Research, 40:4, pp. 64367.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Habermas, J.. ( 1985), The Theory of Communicative Action, Volume 1: Reason and the Rationalization of Society (trans. T. McCarthy.), Boston, MA:: Beacon Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Helguera, P.. ( 2011), Education for Socially Engaged Art, New York:: Jorge Pinto Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Holton, R., and Turner, B. S.. ( 2010), Max Weber on Economy and Society (Routledge Revivals), Florence, SC:: Taylor & Francis Group;, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/anu/detail.action?docID=592954. Accessed 30 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Kaprow, A.. ( 1993), Essays on the Blurring of Art and Life (ed. J. Kelley.), Berkeley, CA:: University of California Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Kester, G.. ( 2004), Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art, Berkeley, CA, Los Angeles, CA and London:: University of California Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. King, K.. ( 2013;), ‘ Edible art. ’, NGV , 5 March, https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/edible-art/. Accessed 22 October 2019.
  19. MAKE Productions ( 2018;), ‘ Rirkrit Tiravanija’s influence on art. ’, Brilliant Ideas, 16 April, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-04-16/rirkrit-tiravanija-on-brilliant-ideas-video. Accessed 23 October 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Malaguzzi, S.. ( 2008), Food and Feasting in Art (A Guide to Imagery), Los Angeles, CA:: J. Paul Getty Museum;.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Meulen, N. van der,, Wiesel, J., and Reinmann, R.. ( 2017), Culinary Turn: Aesthetic Practice of Cookery, Bielefeld:: Transcript Verlag;.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Pearce, S. M.. ( 1992), Museums, Objects, and Collections: A Cultural Study, Leicester:: Smithsonian Institution Press;, https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/29951775?q&versionId=36376896. Accessed 12 September 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Riley, G.. ( 2015), Food in Art: From Prehistory to the Renaissance, London:: Reaktion Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Rioux, S.,, LeBaron, G., and Verovšek, P. J.. ( 2020;), ‘ Capitalism and unfree labor: A review of Marxist perspectives on modern slavery. ’, Review of International Political Economy, 27:3, pp. 70931, https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2019.1650094. Accessed 26 May 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Shaked, N.. ( 2010;), ‘ Institutional critique. ’, in Grove Art Online, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;, https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T2086985. Accessed 26 May 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Sombart, W.. ( 1929;), ‘ Economic theory and economic history. ’, The Economic History Review, 2:1, pp. 119, https://doi.org/10.2307/2589870. Accessed 26 May 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Spoerri, D.. ( 2015;), interviewed by Toscana 900. , Daniel Spoerri: Non Solo Eat Art , 30 June, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVgy-rUPovU. Accessed 21 October 2019.
  28. Steel, C.. ( 2008), Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives, London:: Random House UK;.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Tiravanija, R.. ( 2018;), interviewed by MAKE Productions. , Brilliant Ideas: Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Influence on Art , 16 April, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-04-16/rirkrit-tiravanija-on-brilliant-ideas-video. Accessed 23 October 2019.
  30. Weber, M.. ( 2013), Economy and Society, Berkeley, CA:: University of California Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Pang, Zora. ( 2020;), ‘ Free food in the gallery: Understanding Tiravanija. ’, Journal of Arts Writing by Students, 6:2, pp. 13952, https://doi.org/10.1386/jaws_00021_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jaws_00021_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/jaws_00021_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Keyword(s): Claire Bishop; food art; institutional critique; late-stage capitalism; relational aesthetics; Rirkrit Tiravanija

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed