Out of Pod Experience

The artist ought to leave art installation the way it is now. Now it's a living work of art, organically interacting with the dynamic, unpredictable, and sometimes harsh energies of human society. Or, it's a representation of fatalism, and the unstoppable forces of cause and effect-- trash, though in the guise of an objet d'art, cannot change or conceal its immutable nature. It will ultimately be identified and eliminated by the impartial, yet implacably merciless, cleaning lady. Could be a good art world business gimmick.


Cleaner throws out 'rubbish' Sala Murat artwork

A cleaner has mistakenly thrown away contemporary artworks meant to be part of an exhibition in southern Italy.

Works made out of newspaper and cardboard, and cookie pieces scattered across the floor as part of Sala Murat's display were thrown out.

Lorenzo Roca, from cleaning firm Chiarissima, said the unnamed cleaner was "just doing her job".

He added his firm's insurance would cover the value of the art, estimated to be around 10,000 euros (£8,200).

According to local press, security noticed a number of items were missing when the venue, in the province of Bari, opened on Wednesday morning.

It later emerged the cleaner had handed them over to refuse collectors, thinking it was rubbish left behind by workers who set up the Mediating Landscape exhibition.

"We are obviously very sorry for what happened," city marketing commissioner Antonio Maria Vasile said.

"It's clear the cleaning person did not realise she had thrown away two works and their value. But this is all about the artists who have been able to better interpret the meaning of contemporary art, which is to interact with the environment.

"In any case, the insurance will cover the damages caused."

It is not the first time artwork has been accidentally thrown away by a cleaner.

In 2001, a Damien Hirst installation at London's Eyestorm Gallery consisting of a collection of beer bottles, coffee cups and overflowing ashtrays was cleared away.

Later, in 2004, a bag of paper and cardboard by German artist Gustav Metzger was also thrown out while on a display at Tate Britain.

No. Classical art is a broad, but distinct, era.

Modern is now defined as an era starting around 1860 or so with the Impressionists and ending with a bang in 1962 when Warhol unleashed his soup cans. Thus begins the Post-Modern. Which is looking like it ended around 1995. We gotta wait awhile till our current era is named. But it's the first time in history just about that there is no "populist artist" like Warhol or Gary Indiana (the LOVE logo) or even Dali, all who engaged the public. Strange. Literally nobody, but maybe Banksy making a headline here and there.

Also, linky is broken.

Yeah, it's just all garbage. ALL of it.

There has got to be a further explanation.................

Upon reading the article and all, that is a Frank Stella mural in the background picture, so this is not some kind of backwoods gallery or something. They exhibit major artists apparently. Galleries at that level usually have their own in-house staff for cleaning that is explicitly shown "what is what", and that's to prevent this kind of thing from even happening.

So, they hire an outside cleaning crew and the curator did not give explicit instructions as to what is what ?? That's kinda dangerous when you have a $5,000,000 Stella hanging around.

I smell a big stinky fish, and a possible sabotaging plot by another artist who recommended his friend's "cleaning crew" or something. It just does not make sense, especially for the level of gallery this obviously is.

Yeah. This whole thing is just specious. Yes, there are tiny independent galleries around everywhere, and it is certainly understandable why this could happen, but it's still an incredible rare event.

When I saw that Stella in the background, I was like "whoa!". This is one of the "serious" galleries. That kind is just not going to chance something like this happening. Something was definitely up.

Also, it wouldn't be the first time an artist had another artist's art trashed. (just this week......) Miami artist destroys $1 million Ai Weiwei vase in protest



And then there are cases such as when Jules Verne finally passed, the first thing his housekeeper did was promptly throw absolutely all papers and notes ("It was all just scratch paper stuff") on the fire. MAny, many completed manuscripts and everything. All of it. Everything he ever wrote. Quite a few completed, non-published, manuscripts were involved.

The only survivor was a novel found in a safe about 15 years ago that did get published "Paris in the 20th Century"

No it was a hasty post while at work I meant to come back and read. I scanned it though and since I did not catch the guys name mentioned in my scan, I figured it was about something similar

i raff'd

I've got it! To the installation, the artist should add a big cleaning person's trash can, on a platform with wheels, and lined with a blue trash bag. Maybe rubber gloves draped over the rim, that's a decision for the artist. Find some appropriate (but regrettably not exactly the same) newspapers and cookie crumbs and arrange them in the can. Change the text on the little cardboard placard to "Observed/Inexorable 4 (Cleaning Lady)." Arrange the bin items to just right-- and it is done!

OMG I'm so jealous, can I touch you ? Thanks. I support anyone who makes upending the Chinese Government their life goal.