The hands of Leopoldo Barranco, master potter in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, 2022. Photo: Hamid Amini

Rirkrit Tiravanija: Mezcal vs. Pulque

Over the course of the last two years, Rirkrit Tiravanija travelled several times to the state of Oaxaca to meet and learn from master potters from different regions. During his journeys, he practiced pottery techniques preserved for centuries within local families who have passed their craft down from one generation to the next. With the help and collaboration of Cooperativa 1050º, a cooperative of potters from Oaxaca, Puebla and Chiapas, and led by Kythzia Barrera, Tiravanija worked on special designs for vases, cups and other vessels that will be shown in the exhibition Mezcal vs. Pulque at kurimanzutto from April 30 to July 16, 2022 in Mexico City.

Rirkrit Tiravanija, installation view of Mezcal vs. Pulque, kurimanzutto, Mexico City, 2022. Photo: Abigail Enzaldo

“To live together for those days and learn from each other, it was a joyful human experience. Hopefully, with this collaboration, other people will be also touched by the work and help us continue this tradition to the next generation.”

- Rirkrit Tiravanija

Leopoldo Barranco in the furnace at San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, 2022. Video: Hamid Amini

During one of his visits to Rio Blanco Tonaltepec with Cooperativa 1050º and its community, Tiravanija discovered an abandoned stone house that became the inspiration for the exhibition. A wooden reproduction of this house resides in the middle of the gallery and serves as an intimate shelter for viewing the pottery pieces created for it. The structure on view at kurimanzutto was built to recall his encounter with this construction in the middle of the Oaxacan landscape, made of fired wooden planks that emanate the burnt smell of the potters’ ovens.

In previous exhibitions, Rirkrit Tiravanija created spatial environments for Asian tea ceremonies where the act of serving allows the participants to pause their regular activities and observe the present moment for the duration of the ritual. For the exhibition in Mexico, the artist created a similar environment where mezcal and pulque were served in the clay pieces as a means of honoring the two native beverages.

Rirkrit Tiravanija serving mezcal during the Mezcal vs. Pulque exhibition opening on April 30, 2022. Photo: Abigail Enzaldo