15,000 euros for ... nothing.
An Italian artist, Salvatore Garau, sold a non-existent work of art at auction.
This
“sculpture”
entitled
Io sono
(
“I am”
) was sold on May 18 during a sale organized by the Milanese house Art-Rite, specializing in contemporary art.
As reported by the Catalan media
El Nacional
, the price was set at 6,000 euros, but after the bidding of several potential buyers, one of them - who remains anonymous - bought
Io sono
15,000 euros.
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According to the Sardinian artist, the space that will host the work must obey several criteria: it must be an empty room in an independent house, the center of which must be free of any object so that it can be placed there.
Io sono
.
The work, which measures 1.5 square meters, will be delimited by a strip stuck to the ground.
The buyer does not have to take any action to receive this invisible creation, the only document that will be given to him is a certificate of guarantee and authenticity.
Void artist
Salvatore Garau, 67, claims to be an artist of the void.
He invokes philosophy and religion to justify the exorbitant price of this work, which only exists since he has decreed it.
“The vacuum is nothing other than a space filled with energies and even if we empty it, according to the principle of the uncertainty of Heisenberg, the vacuum has a weight
, he pleads.
In this he has an energy which condenses and turns into particles, which are in us.
And after all, aren't we giving a face to a God we've never seen? ”
Read also: An art critic accidentally breaks a work of contemporary art: it had "no artistic value" according to her
Starting from the observation that emptiness can surprisingly be lucrative, this artist is not at his first attempt. His invisible sculpture
Buddha in contemplation
was exhibited in the center of Piazza de la Scala in Milan. A very busy place where many could imagine the work, failing to be able to truly contemplate any deity. The only thing ordinary people could perceive from these creations was the white duct tape stuck to the floor. What delimits the air (e) composing the work.