Orange Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 In a carefully orchestrated act of artistic subversion, Brazilian conceptual artist Ilê Sartuzi swapped a historic coin at the British Museum with a replica. Sartuzi, known for his thought-provoking performances, targeted a silver coin from the English Civil War era during a visit to the museum’s “collection handling session”—a program that allows visitors to examine artifacts under supervision. Security footage, later released by Sartuzi himself as part of his master’s degree thesis exhibition at Goldsmiths, University of London, shows him switching the coin while the volunteer’s attention is momentarily diverted. The artist then deposited the original coin in the museum's donation box before leaving. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ilê Sartuzi (@ilesartuzi) Sartuzi spent over a year planning his project, aptly titled Sleight of Hand. This involved legal consultations, architectural studies of the museum, and numerous visits to ensure a smooth execution. During a guided demonstration in Room 68 of the British Museum, Sartuzi deftly removed a 1645 silver coin minted in Newark from its display case. With practiced sleight of hand, he replaced it with a replica before discreetly depositing the genuine coin into a designated change donation box. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ilê Sartuzi (@ilesartuzi) The British Museum, which houses a vast trove of objects from around the world, has long faced criticism for its acquisition of artifacts during colonial periods. Many countries have called for the repatriation of items they believe were looted or unethically obtained. Sartuzi's performance can be interpreted as a commentary on this ongoing debate. By replacing a British artifact with a foreign object (the replica coin), he symbolically challenged the notion of ownership and highlighted the complex history of the museum's collection. The British Museum criticized the stunt as a “disappointing and derivative act that took advantage of “a volunteer-led service.” However, Sartuzi’s lawyer defends that the artist’s actions fall outside the scope of museum policies and the Theft Act of 1968. Instead, Sartuzi aims to provoke a dialogue about the imperialist history of institutions like the British Museum, which he believes house treasures looted from the global south. The incident has prompted a review of its security protocols. Law enforcement officials are currently investigating the act, though no charges have been filed as of yet. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/07/15/another-object-has-been-stolen-from-the-british-museumbut-this-time-by-an-artist https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/07/16/brazilian-artist-steals-coin-from-british-museum-in-controversial-art-project https://hyperallergic.com/933746/brazilian-conceptual-ile-sartuzi-artist-steals-historic-coin-from-the-british-museum/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/artist-switches-coin-fake-british-museum-rcna162990 Opening image: Jarnogz | Dreamstime.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegisTheGreat Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 (edited) This exact topic of ownership rights somewhat pertains to all human endeavors from house purchasers atop land that belongs more to the original roaming buffalo, precious citizenship automatically awarded just because you were born to a specific pair of parents, and other "ownership" issues. However, plundered art may not be plundered such as coin that was used for barter or trade of items of value that have since been "consumed". I am not so quick to insist museums all need to remove their inventories given that the original journey to those disputing ownership may not have been so directly "honorably" acquired either. It is low hanging fruit to dishonor museums that exist to inform cultures of other cultures out there, not so readily accessible for various reasons. Viva La Museums! Edited July 25 by RegisTheGreat typo of cap that was altered in Viva word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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