Eatopia: aesthetic spaces of collective food consumption in contemporary art

Abstract

Contemporary artists Rirkrit Tiravanija and Jennifer Rubell offer food and sociability both literally and metaphorically. By inviting exhibition visitors to eat meals in specially conceived spaces within art galleries, both artists encourage participatory modes of spectatorship and challenge the social norms that generally regulate the art viewer's behavior. While the social ties inspired by these art practices have been amply analyzed, the aesthetic qualities of the spaces in which the meals are served, remain largely disregarded. This paper argues that the features of Tiravanija and Rubell's environments, strategically framed within art institutions, affect the social relations between viewers. Context ultimately shapes behavior: the participatory exchanges engendered by these artists simply would not be the same were they to take place in a different setting. Tiravanija's Untitled (Free), (1992, 1995, 2007, 2011), the 2004 retrospective, "Rirkrit Tiravanija: A Retrospective (Tomorrow is another fine day)," and Rubell's Creation, encourage participatory modes of spectatorship that are contingent both upon social factors and upon the spaces in which they are staged. According to Nicolas Bourriaud's theory of relational aesthetics, the strength of Tiravanija and Rubell's works lies in their ability to create ephemeral face-to-face encounters between participants. I contend that this promise of conviviality through collective food consumption cannot be fulfilled independently of the environments where social relations are formed. In addition to Bourriaud's theories, this analysis relies on Michel Foucault and Gaston Bachelard to highlight the role of physical space in structuring social ties, triggering emotional connections, and catalyzing poetic introspection in Tiravanija and Rubell's artistic practices. I have coined the term "eatopia" to highlight the aesthetic qualities of the spaces where Tiravanija and Rubell serve food in order to compensate for the increasing loss of sociability in contemporary societies. Despite their somewhat utopian qualities, their works are embedded in specific contexts that are not to be overlooked. The findings in this thesis provide an alternative understanding of Tiravanija and Rubell's art practices by analyzing not only the public social exchange between art participants, but also the feelings of intimacy and familiarity catalyzed by their multisensorial environments