A Wren Says

Julian Assange sits in jail, awaiting possible extradition to the United States from his British detainment. Andrei Molodkin refuses to sit idly by, with the possibility that the WikiLeaks founder might die in prison. Molodkin has chosen to hold art for ransom. If his demands are not met, that being the safety of Assange, millions of dollars worth of artwork will be destroyed by acid.

This chemically assisted destruction, or rather the safe that contains it, is titled “Dead Man’s Switch.” The piece currently sits in Molodkin’s studio in France but will later be placed in a museum. In addition to the art and chemicals inside, it features a 24-hour countdown timer reset daily following assurance of Assange’s safety by someone close to him.

My first reaction was that this was disgusting. How could you so recklessly destroy so much precious art as a sign of protest? But let’s be honest, that is part of the meaning here. What is the value of art? As Stella Assange says, “which is the greater taboo: destroying art or destroying a human life?”

This installation is so shocking because of the value we have placed on art. After all, people unapologetically spend millions at auction. And remember the gasps as Banksy’s work went through a shredder, just after the final bid? If art is so valuable to us, why is that? Is it because we like pretty pictures, or is there something more? Is that something more not what it speaks to us about the human experience? And if so, what is the value we place on that?

Source:

Ott, H. (February 14, 2024). Artist says he’ll destroy $45M worth of Rembrandt, Picasso, and Warhol masterpieces if Julian Assange dies in prison. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andrei-molodkin-destroy-rembrandt-picasso-warhol-art-with-acid-julian-assange-dies-prison/