Art that doesn't exist: would you pay 15,000 euros for an invisible sculpture?

In Italy, the artist plastic Salvatore Garau became popular due to his unusual story: the sale of an invisible sculpture for the low of 15 thousand euros, approximately R$ 83 thousand. The work, which is called “Lo Sono” or “I Am” in Portuguese, is an immaterial property composed of air and spirit, according to the Italian.

Invisible sculpture made history around the world

Salvatore Garau is enthusiastic about his creations and defends his work despite criticism. For him, energy is transformed, condensed and then transformed into particles, in the same way that happens with human beings.

The controversy surrounding invisible sculpture and the absence of art in the strict sense made Garau express himself about the function of emptiness in his work. According to the artist, everything depends on the perspective, because empty space is not just the absence of matter, but a space of possibilities and energy.

And if you find this story unusual, the purchase of an invisible sculpture for 15,000 euros is even more curious. After the artwork was purchased, the buyer received a certificate of authenticity and instructions for installation, which must be within the space of 1.5 m by 1.5 m.

What is art?

The controversy surrounding the sculpture increased the controversies surrounding so-called conceptual art and what art really is, which gained momentum with the one created by Garau. Indeed, this is not the first time that the artist has produced invisible sculptures, having even held exhibitions in Milan and New York in previous years.

In Italy, a Buddha was installed in a state of contemplation while in New York there was an Aphrodite in tears, which was placed in front of the Stock Exchange. For Garau, the creation of invisible sculptures has some advantages, such as less bureaucracy for exhibition, without the need for municipal or state permits.

Along the same lines, to defend himself against critics' attacks, Garau defends the existence of art only in imagination of its audience, different from the merely material expression given to others throughout the time.

Defender of art as a way to change perception and the way of seeing and understanding the world, the Italian will continue the production of immaterial sculptures because, at least for him, it is not necessary to touch or see something in the real world to appreciate the messages and Meanings.