Rirkrit Tiravanija: DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG

For more than three decades, Rirkrit Tiravanija has been expanding the possibilities of what can happen in an exhibition space. As part of his practice, the artist creates situations that offer space to eat and drink, play and rest. They encourage chance encounters, relationships and their failure – in other words: life.
Starting 12 September 2024, DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG (Happiness is not always fun) presents more than 80 of the artist’s works created between 1987 and 2024. Throughout his work, Tiravanija, who lives and works partly in Berlin, has often referred to cultural clichés and politics in Germany. In this vein, the exhibition takes its title from the opening sequence of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), an important point of reference for Tiravanija.
DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG brings together early installations, experimental 8mm films and photographs as well as regular activations of participatory works.
The installation untitled غداً هو السؤال) 2024 ) (tomorrow is the question) (morgen ist die frage) (jutro jest pytaniem) (завтра это вопрос) (yarindir soru) (Завтра питання) (ngày mai là câu hỏi), consisting of eight ping-pong tables, invites visitors to play in the freely accessible atrium of the Gropius Bau. With the spiral-shaped stage untitled 2024 (demo station no. 8), offering space for daily public performances, the atrium becomes a place where people can come together and spend time with friends and strangers.
Curated by Jenny Schlenzka, Director, Gropius Bau, Yasmil Raymond, Independent Curator, and Christopher Wierling, Assistant Curator, Gropius Bau