Performance Artist Steals, And Returns, A Coin From The British Museum

Sartuzi’s performance came to its quiet, but significant, culmination after more than a year of logistical rehearsals, where the artist made several visits to the museum, studied the building’s architectural plans, and produced multiple copies of the English Civil War era coin.

The piece bridges Sartuzi’s conceptual approach of installation work with his interest in theater and repetitive movements. Through his work, the idea of cathartic habits are questioned, revealing their inherent similarity to mechanical movements. 

“Sleight of Hand” formed a part of Sartuzi’s MFA presentation at Goldsmiths and was presented on a two-channel video installation alongside two falsified coins and an accompanying text. The performed “theft” questions the operative intentions within large institutions and proceeds to highlight the fallible and delicate presentation of history. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ilê Sartuzi (@ilesartuzi)

It’s no surprise that the British Museum was less than happy about the whole ordeal. One of their spokespeople called the project a “disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to handle real items and engage with history.” The statement, given to Hyperallergic, refers to the British Museum’s long-running interactive experience, which has been available to the public since the year 2000. 

“Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust, and it would be a shame to have to review the provision of these services due to actions like this,” the spokesperson continued. However, Sartuzi’s lawyer argues that despite relocating the coin— since the object was never technically removed from the premises— no laws or policies were broken.

The performance, which took place on June 18th, was actually Sartuzi’s second attempt to execute the magic trick. He had been caught by a volunteer the previous day, but promptly returned clean-shaven to remediate his failed first try. 

Since then, the artist has made various statements elaborating his reasoning behind the piece. His main intentions rely on subverting the historical looting done by and for imperialist forces, wishing to open a conversation on why certain forms of theft are excused, while others warrant a call to the police. He also specified that the coin he chose to relocate was the only one in the mix of British origin.