Italian artist sold the invisible sculpture for about 15 thousand euros

ABOUT The Italian plastic artist Salvatore Garau sold the invisible sculpture for 15,000 euros at an auction that started at 6,000 euros and was contested several times. The piece is called “Io Sono” (“I Am”), and the 67-year-old artist says that it is “immaterial,” meaning it does not exist in the physical world.

Check the platform the auction was held on, there is nothing in the picture, but someone paid € 14,820 to buy it.

The physical proof of purchase is simply a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. The certificate reads: “Intangible Sculpture, April 2020. For placement in a private house in an obstacle-free space of approximately 150 x 150 cm. “

Will the certificate be the true value of the work? It has a note: “This certificate cannot be displayed in the designated work area.” Thus, owners and potential fans can only imagine a work that exists only in the head of Garau, working in painting, sculpture or installation.

Io Sono Certificate of Authenticity.© Reproduction

Although he received a lot of criticism, Garau dismisses the idea that his work is “nothing”, explaining that it is more of a “vacuum”. “A vacuum is nothing more than a space full of energy, and even if we empty it and nothing remains there, according to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, this“ nothing ”has weight. Therefore, it contains energy that condenses and turns into particles, that is, in us, “he said.

It was the first non-physical sculpture Garau sold, but not the first one he made. The “Buddha in Contemplation”, which you can see below, was presented in Milan, in Piazza della Scala. A white square on the floor delineates a piece that a fan can … imagine.

Read also: Gaetan Oliveira’s works are exhibited at the Society of Fine Arts.