Concept

In the Academy of the Arts Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate, Jankowski organized an auction, during a conference on the subject of the 2008 financial crisis and its impact on art and culture. He turned to public establishments and institutions – among them the German Bundestag, the Berlin police, the fire department, and the customs office – and asked them to donate objects to be put up for auction. The institutions offered him things that were otherwise going to be discarded. He accepted everything – from a typewriter, to a teddy bear, to a firefighter’s helmet. When a sale was made, Jankowski declared that the corresponding »donation from the state« was thus an artwork. The buyer received the sculpture as well as a certificate; then the »donor« could determine which cultural institution would receive the proceeds.

Performance

Auctioned objects with certificates of authenticity by the artist

Video

(1 HD Cam, 1 Blu-ray), 46:42 min, color, sound, German, edition of 5, II