For his exhibition at Gropius Bau, Rirkrit Tiravanija presents works from the 1980s through today showcasing the importance of Berlin and Germany as sites of artistic production. The artist has been living in Germany part-time since the early 1990s and has regularly developed work that addresses the country’s politics, cultural peculiarities and relationship to global migration patterns.

DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG (HAPPINESS IS NOT ALWAYS FUN) includes works on paper, sculptures, photographs, multiples and a selection of rarely shown Super 8 films, as well as regular activations of the artist’s most important ephemeral and participatory works. The exhibition title is borrowed from the opening titles of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film Angst essen Seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul).

The singularity of Tiravanija’s practice is always the focus: institutional boundaries are pushed; categories are tested; people cook, eat and play; things get loud.

Curated by Jenny Schlenzka, Yasmil Raymond and Christopher Wierling.

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