photo : Rafael Goldchain
South Kensington, Christie’s, Sale No. 5537, lot 36, March 25, 2010. A work is for sale. Estimated at between £5,000 and £7,000, it sells for £5,625. Not very expensive for a work of art, but about right for a conceptual work which, moreover, is not all that old. In truth, it still does not quite exist. The process of its creation has just begun.
Fiction on Auction is a work by Goldin+Senneby,1 1 - www.goldinsenneby.com two Swedish artists who have been collaborating since 2004. It consists of the sale, to some future owner, of a character-role in a novel-in-progress (written in collaboration with a writer mysteriously named K.D.). Entitled Looking for Headless,2 2 - The title is in homage to Georges Bataille and his 1930s magazine Acéphale (see below). this novel blends real facts and people — including the artists themselves — with fictional elements. What the collector of Fiction on Auction purchases is the promise of adventure by proxy.
This content is available with a Digital or Premium subscription only. Subscribe to read the full text and access all our Features, Off-Features, Portfolios, and Columns!
Already have a Digital or Premium subscription?
Don’t want to subscribe? Additional content is available with an Esse account. It’s free and no purchase will ever be required. Create an account or log in:
