For this one-person show I engaged the residents of the building where the gallery is located. I asked them to lend an object that they regarded as ‘art’ to the gallery, and fill a loan form that was exhibited next to it. In this loan form, which closely resembled a museum loan form, they wrote a brief description of the piece, provided title, name of the artist and size.
I involved and connected to the gallery a group of people that despite their proximity, were usually excluded from it, due to their socio-economic status and origin (many of them were recent immigrants).
The title "Der Messingkauf" was found in Bertolt Brecht's writings on theatre and relates to the inappropriateness of measuring everything in monetary terms. Who and what determines the value and meaning of an artwork?
As there was nothing for sale and the gallery functioned more as a space for developing social relations than anything else, I am extremely grateful to Emi Fontana for believing in this project and supporting it wholeheartedly.
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