Artist Rirkrit Tiravanija's 'bamboo maze' in Singapore is your next Instagram-worthy spot
Make sure you experience a tea ceremony inside the bamboo structure too.
By AFP RELAXNEWS; additional reporting by Reta Lee -
Called "untitled 2018 (the infinite dimensions of smallness," the installation for the Gallery's Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden stands four meters high and draws inspiration from traditional Asian materials, craft and architecture.
Tiravanija - who was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Thailand, Ethiopia and Canada - is known for large-scale works that engage audiences, and here visitors are invited to navigate the maze, which makes reference to the hand-built bamboo scaffolding found across Asia. His works have been exhibited around the world, including the famed Guggenheim Museum, New York, Centre Pompidou, Paris as well as Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow.
At the wooden tea house, located at the center of the maze and evoking the rich culture of tea and its centuries-old ceremonies, visitors will be able to participate in tea ceremonies by local and international tea masters and attend monthly performances.
What we really like is the use of bamboo against the backdrop of Singapore's architecture, reminding us of when the composite, readily-available material was commonly used to build huts and homes in Asia. Kinda symbolic in a way to give back to earth, if you ask us, without encroaching our planet Earth's land and resources. An architecture firm Affect-T based in Hong Kong also used bamboo to create micro homes built inside abandoned factories as a solution to the extended housing crisis. Not only that, Vietnamese studio H&P Architects also constructed a prototype bamboo home to overcome flood issues - the houses can withstand flood waters up to three metres above ground. Just some of the many uses of the material, including building eco-hotels in Bali.
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In his past works, Tiravanija has cooked Thai meals for gallery patrons and created walk-in (and even live-in) replicas of his apartment. This sharing concept can also be experienced in the 'tea house' he has created for the public's viewing.
A post shared by National Gallery Singapore (@nationalgallerysingapore) on Jan 22, 2018 at 9:06pm PST
The following free programmes are held at National Gallery Singapore in conjunction with this exhibition:
• Sat–Sun 27–28 Jan | 2–5pm | 30 min per session
Gathering Under the Sky by Mai Ueda
• Sun 4 Feb, 4 Mar, 1 Apr, 6 May, 3 Jun, 1 Jul, 5 Aug, 2 Sep, 7 Oct | 2–6pm
Sunday Tea Ceremonies
Rirkrit Tiravanija's roof garden commission will be on display at the National Gallery Singapore from January 24 through October 28.