From March 26 to July 26, 2026, Pirelli HangarBicocca will present "The House that Jack Built," the first retrospective dedicated to Rirkrit Tiravanija's architectural and spatial research. Tiravanija is a leading figure in relational art and one of the most significant contemporary artists on the international art scene. His work exists between art and life, and calls for participation. In the Navate space of Pirelli HangarBicocca, visitors will navigate a gigantic maze, where every encounter becomes an opportunity to share experiences of leisure, rest, care, conviviality, and participation.
Rirkrit Tiravanija (Buenos Aires, 1961; currently living and working in New York, Berlin, and Chiang Mai, Thailand) has profoundly reshaped our understanding of artistic practice by constantly questioning the very definition of a work of art. Since the 1990s, Tiravanija has centered his practice on social engagement, often encouraging visitors to interact with and actively participate in his works. The artist's installations, performances, photographs, films, sculptures, and drawings push beyond conventional boundaries, redefining traditional categories and promoting an environment in which involvement and collaboration are integral to the work. Tiravanija's projects stem from an in-depth exploration of cultural identity and the global structures underlying it, questioning the reality and imagination of places.
The son of a Thai diplomat, Tiravanija led a nomadic life from childhood, moving between Buenos Aires, Bangkok, and Addis Ababa before receiving an arts education in the United States and Canada. Tiravanija's artistic practice stems from this experience of constant change, focusing on the theme of globalization as the circulation of people, images, and capital between different geographical regions, as well as the redefinition of the dichotomy between "local" and "global". Tiravanija explores this tension by examining and breaking down concepts such as travel and shelter, viewing them as political and aesthetic tools that can create opportunities for hospitality and connection. As the artist states, "I have always been traveling, it is about change, and about shift, it's about moving in order to remember that one is living". Within this framework, Tiravanija often uses film, text, or music to emphasize the role of popular culture in constructing collective memory and to connect contemporary art to a broader, permeable discourse closely tied to life experiences.
By recreating everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, and playing, the artist reimagines the exhibition space and rejects its idealization. In doing so, he transforms it into a tangible reality in which ethical and cultural differences are questioned, analyzed, and problematized. The work thus becomes an open process and a tool for dialogue and transformation, encouraging encounters and the development of a living community. Two main objectives lie at the heart of Tiravanija's practice: first, he critiques the mechanisms of Western institutions that produce and legitimize knowledge through exhibition practices; second, he searches for artistic forms that can reactivate the context and use of objects, restoring their life force, which often gets stifled by institutions. A key element is the introduction of a communal dimension, where cooking and sharing food in public becomes an artistic act. In his renowned work untitled 1990 (pad thai), (1990), Tiravanija cooks and serves the well-known Thai national dish, intending to "take the pot out of the vitrine and cook in it", as he puts it. In doing so, the artist returns food to its original function within an institutional context, overturning the concept of the readymade and challenging the conventions of museum display.
The retrospective "The House that Jack Built" presented at Pirelli HangarBicocca and curated by Lucia Aspesi and Vicente Todolí, will introduce the public to the artist's thirty years of research into spatial and architectural practices. The title refers to the famous 19th-century English nursery rhyme of the same name, which has a repetitive and cumulative structure. Contrary to what the title suggests, the rhyme does not recount the story of the house or its builder. Rather, it reveals how the house is indirectly connected to, and interacts with, the people and things around it. By evoking the rhyme, Tiravanija highlights a solid relationship with issues of authorship, a prevalent theme in his work. The artist conceives buildings as platforms, whose value is determined by their use and the people who inhabit them rather than by their form.
The exhibition will showcase the largest collection of the artist's architectural works to date, many of which are inspired by iconic buildings of celebrated architects associated with Modernism, including Sigurd Lewerentz, Le Corbusier, Rudolf Michael Schindler, Frederick Kiesler, Jean Prouvé, and Philip Johnson. With these structures, Tiravanija explores themes related to authorship and reinterprets modernist icons by altering their original function through collective activation and placing them in radically different contexts. This opens up new possibilities for use, relationship, and meaning. Like cinematic sequences unfolding throughout the exhibition, the show will present a succession of scenarios in which visitors become protagonists. In many installations, the words "a lot of people" appear among the listed materials. Relying on "a lot of people" to bring the work to life means embracing interruptions and unforeseen events: what happens may not match what existed up to that point. Thus, the exhibition is not intended to be a mausoleum of emblematic works from the past. Rather, it is an active, participatory format in which forms are reactivated by different presences and circumstances each time.
The exhibition will open with untitled 2026 (demo station n. 9) (2026), a spiral-shaped wooden platform inspired by Austrian architect Friedrich Kiesler's (1890–1965) Raumbühne (1924). Accessible to visitors, this structure was conceived as an innovative device that allows for a rethinking of the traditional theater space by overcoming the separation between stage and audience. As the title suggests, the work invites the public to "demonstrate something". The space is designed to host performances, debates, workshops, and conversations, and serves as a meeting place and an exchange space. The installation recalls the dual meaning of the term "demonstration", referring to both political protest and the presentation of talent or personal interests.
Designed specifically for the Navate space, the exhibition path will be a maze that guides visitors through the works. The walls of the structure will be covered with orange fabric, a characteristic of many of the artist's works and reminiscent of Buddhist monks' robes. The fabric's density is linked to Tiravanija's desire to create an experience for visitors: "Today, experience is given; we simply turn on the phone and information appears. I am interested in creating a sense of engagement. I want people to move through time and space and pay attention. In this way, we ask them to spend time, to unfold what happens".
Upon entering the maze, visitors will encounter the various works, one by one, in spaces designed for interaction and exchange. Alongside architectural replicas of iconic buildings by renowned architects, visitors will come across temporary tent structures. This element recurs in Tiravanija's work as an archetype of minimal housing and porous space that encourages community interaction. The works include: untitled 1992 (cure) (1992), an orange tent where visitors can relax and drink tea; untitled 1995 (tent installation) (1995), which contains images of travel; and untitled 1997 (cinema de ville, berlin-bangkok) (1997), a small traveling cinema consisting of two camping tents that show videos shot by Tiravanija in Berlin and Bangkok in the mid-1990s.
Continuing along the exhibition path, visitors will encounter untitled 1995 (half-scale single family home no. 47, with interior decoration by children of the Storken day care center, ages 5 to 7) (1995-2026). This work was inspired by the modernist project Single Family House No. 47 (1930) by Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975). The interior furnishings of the scale reproduction will be designed by a class of a school in Milan. Due to its reduced size, the space will be used exclusively by children for educational and recreational activities. At the center of the display is the installation untitled 2006 (palm pavilion) (2006-08), which recreates the Maison Tropicale (1949-51) designed by French architect Jean Prouvé (1901-1984). This prefabricated metal house was designed for tropical climates to address the housing needs of French colonies in Africa. Its structure is characterized by lightness, modularity, and ease of assembly. Tiravanija reimagines this architectural model by populating it with Kentia palms and projecting films of palm trees being detonated during nuclear tests in the South Pacific, as well as archival materials reflecting on the palm tree as a colonial and cultural symbol.
At the end of the labyrinth visitors will encounter untitled 1996 (rehearsal studio no. 6, open version) (1996), a wooden structure designed as an open recording studio available to musicians and visitors. It is a replica of the studio that Tiravanija had in New York in the 1990s, where he played music with friends between trips.
the house the cat built (2008–09/2026) will be presented in the Cubo space. This installation consists of a wooden house containing works by artists who are friends of Tiravanija or closely associated with his practice, including one by Tiravanija himself. The structure is inspired by Tiravanija's home in Thailand, which blends harmoniously with its natural surroundings. Unlike the other installations, the project is not shaped by a single architectural reference; instead, it draws from multiple forms of Modernism, including Brutalism.
The artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija's solo exhibitions have been hosted by many of the world's leading art institutions, including Gropius Bau, Berlin (2024); MoMA PS1, New York (2023); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium (2021); Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. (2019); National Gallery of Singapore (2018); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2016); Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas (2014); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2012); Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany (2010); Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany (2009); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2005); Portikus, Frankfurt am Main (2004, 2001); Secession, Vienna (2002); Kunsthall Oslo (2001); Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio (1999); Philadelphia Museum of Art (1998); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (1997); Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne (1996).
Tiravanija has also participated in numerous group exhibitions and biennials around the world, including Shanghai Biennale (2025); Helsinki Biennial (2021); Sharjah Biennial (2007, 2015); Venice Biennale (2015, 2011, 2009, 2003, 1993); Gwangju Biennale (2012; 1995); Lyon Biennale (2007, 1995); São Paulo Biennial (2006); Whitney Biennial (2006, 1995); Dakar Biennale (2004); Liverpool Biennial (2004, 2002); Istanbul Biennial (2001); Caribbean Biennial (1999); Berlin Biennale, Biennale of Sydney (1998); Johannesburg Biennale (1995).
The artist has received many scholarships and awards, including the Absolut Art Award (2010), the Silpathorn Award from the Thai Ministry of Culture (2017), the Hugo Boss Prize (2004), and the Lucelia Artist Award from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (2003).
Catalog
The accompanying monograph is a collection of the latest critical studies on Rirkrit Tiravanija's work, focusing particularly on the spatial and architectural dimensions explored in his solo exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca. Designed by Francesca Grassi, the volume includes commissioned essays by curator Francesco Bonami and historian and theorist Beatriz Colomina that examine the artist's relationship with architecture and art.
The volume is complemented by a conversation between Tiravanija and architect Frida Escobedo, and detailed descriptions of the exhibited works by Mistura Allison, Claudette Lauzon, Chiara Lupi, Tatiana Palenzona, Teodora di Robilant, Mathilde Roman, Robert Melvin Rubin, David Toop, and Christopher Wierling. It is also enhanced by an unpublished dialogue between the artist and the exhibition curators, Lucia Aspesi and Vicente Todolí, as well as a selection of images of the exhibition and project documentation.
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the production and promotion of contemporary art, established and supported by Pirelli. Founded in 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca is now a point of reference for the international art community, citizens, and the local area. A completely free, accessible, and open museum, it is a place of experimentation, research, and dissemination where art is the starting point for reflection on the most current issues in contemporary culture and society. Its activities, aimed at a wide and diverse audience, include a calendar of important solo exhibitions by Italian and international artists, a multidisciplinary program of collateral and in-depth events, scientific and educational publishing, and educational and training initiatives. Dialogue between the public and art is also encouraged by the constant presence of museum mediators in the exhibition spaces. Since 2012, the artistic direction has been entrusted to Vicente Todolí. Housed in a former industrial building, once the site of a locomotive factory, Pirelli HangarBicocca covers an area of 15,000 square meters and is one of the largest horizontally developed exhibition spaces in Europe. The exhibition area includes the Shed and Navate spaces, dedicated to hosting temporary exhibitions, and Anselm Kiefer's permanent work, I Sette Palazzi Celesti 2004-2015, a monumental installation consisting of seven reinforced concrete towers that has become one of the most iconic works in the city of Milan.
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Information about the exhibition
| Institution | Pirelli HangarBicocca |
| Artist | Rirkrit Tiravanija |
| Title | "The House that Jack Built" |
| Curated by | Lucia Aspesi and Vicente Todolí |
| Organized by | Pirelli HangarBicocca |
| Press preview | March 24, 2026 |
| Opening | March 25, 2026 |
| Exhibition dates | March 26 – July 26, 2026 |
| Location | Via Chiese 2, Milan |
| Opening hours | Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
| Admission | Free |
| Catalog | Marsilio Arte |
| Workshop | Information on creative paths: https://pirellihangarbicocca.org/kids/ |
| Info | +39 02 6611 1573 info@hangarbicocca.org |
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