Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija has an original recipe for success: "I can't paint," he said, "but I can cook."
Tiravanija, 40, co-opts normally staid gallery and museum spaces and turns them into lively social occasions. His exhibitions are often like one long opening reception: Someone, usually the artist himself, is cooking, and people sit around eating, drinking and chatting. The interaction is the artwork.
Tiravanija (pronounced Teer-ah-vah-nit) is in town for a solo show at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery in Hatsudai and to host a monthlong series of events in the Asakusa area, sponsored by the Asahi Beer Arts Foundation and Sumida Ward.