“Tuesday, 03 December 2013, 15:03:02” – the title indicates the starting point for this minimalist work by Alicja Kwade: the representation of a specific moment in time. But the artist shows much more than that. We see eight slabs of aluminium, zinc, lead, copper, nickel, tin, silver and gold – the leading metals traded on the commodity markets. The different sizes only seem random at first glance. All these slabs are worth the same amount of money, equivalent to 5 grams of gold at the time in the title.
The artist, then, did not define the shape and size of this sculpture for herself. The decisive factor is the price of the materials, which alters in global trading from one minute to the next. In turn, the value of the art work created on this basis is determined by the art market. This is subject to fluctuations of its own. Kwade subtly addresses and connects different value systems and raises significant questions. Such as: What is the (added) value of art?
Tuesday, 03 December 2013, 15:03:02
2014
Installation
Aluminium, zinc, lead, copper, nickel, tin, silver, gold
14,5 x 183,5 x 113,4 cm
Acquired with funds from the Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin by the Culture Department of the Berlin Senate, 2014
