
Rirkrit Tiravanija, untitled 2020 (extinction series: tapanuli orangutan pongo tapanuliensis), 2023, Solar dust screenprint on STPI handmade linen paper, origami creased pattern; 3D printed model in sandstone, 147 x 147 cm (print), 17.5 x 20 x 5.5 cm (sculpture), 53 x 56 x 14 cm (folded print), Edition of 3. © Rirkrit Tiravanija / STPI.
We don’t recognise what we don’t see is a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, renowned artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries in London. Marking a year-long celebration of its 21st Anniversary, this latest show amplifies STPI’s core values of collaboration and innovation, bringing to the fore a renewed focus on the diverse creative exchanges that take place between artists, curators, and the Workshop’s expert team.
Running from 8 April to 4 June 2023, the exhibition consists of 40 artworks in a compelling new series that explores themes of extinction, humankind’s destruction of the natural world, and our impending demise as a civilisation. The show is a visceral experience provocatively designed to engage the mind and senses, conceived from works created during Tiravanija’s third residency with STPI (over a period from 2019 to 2023).
The exhibition’s titular work We Don’t Recognize What We Don’t See commemorates the relationship between the orangutan mother and child — a bond that is widely associated with the orangutan. Instead of representing them alive, Tiravanija used skulls for the mother and child instead, playing with the motif of memento mori. This sobering reminder of mortality is only visible via ultraviolet light, as he thoughtfully invites the audience to acknowledge the silent and invisible threat of extinction plaguing living creatures all around the world, as well as to reckon with humankind’s own possible extinction.
Venue: STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236
Hours: Mondays – Saturdays: 10am – 7pm
Sundays: 11am – 5pm
When: 8 Apr - 4 Jun 2023,
By: STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery