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“The more they repress Assange, the less freedom of speech or freedom of expressions we have in the world”. And without these freedoms, “there’s no future for the artist” – Andrei Molodkin on the art piece Dead Man’s Switchhttps://t.co/L4CGJ4uRRX pic.twitter.com/BgaOfOOH84
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Contemporary artist Andrei Molodkin plans to destroy 16 works of art collectively valued at more than £42.77m with acid if Julian Assange dies in prison.
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Holding art hostage is a novel idea.
It’s reasonable enough.
Most of this art is garbage anyway. Picassos and Warhols should be destroyed on principle.
But the $45 million number is dramatic.
He’s attracted global media attention and criticism after vowing to destroy some of the world’s most precious artwork if Julian Assange dies in prison.
But Andrei Molodkin, the Russian dissident artist, has said he does not believe the works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Andy Warhol and others, which he will lock away in a safe with a corrosive substance this Friday, will actually be destroyed.
Andrei Molodkin
“I’m not trying to destroy art, and I don’t believe I will have to,” Molodkin told the Guardian, adding that the project, called Dead Man’s Switch, was itself a collaborative artwork like any sculpture or portrait.
“It’s not activism. I believe that Assange will be free and all the collectors and artists who have donated their work did so because they believe he will not die in prison.”
Instead, the artist added, he is trying to spark a discussion over why “destroying the life of people means nothing but destroying art is a huge taboo in the world”.
Yeah, especially when it comes to destroying Picassos.
Why would people not want that trash destroyed?
Molodkin said he has gathered 16 works of art, which he estimates are collectively worth more than $45m. The works will be locked into a 29-tonne, 13ft by 9ft Swiss safe at Molodkin’s studio in the south of France. They will only be returned to their owners if Assange is released as a free man.
“When we have so much violence and war, like in Ukraine, Gaza, and everywhere, we need freedom of speech and freedom of expression for people to understand what’s happening,” the artist said.
“One of the most important examples is Julian Assange. He’s in prison just for the [material he published]. He changed the history of journalism and information. He changed the world. Personally for me, it was a world before him and a world after.”
The 57-year-old artist said he believes the longer Assange, who is being held in Belmarsh prison and is facing extradition to the US, stays in jail “and the more they repress him, the less freedom of speech or freedom of expressions we have in the world”. And without these freedoms, “there’s no future for the artist”.
As an artist, I can agree with this.
But I would add: there is no freedom for anyone. Without freedom of speech, democracy is the worst form of tyranny.
Our children will all be sex slaves to homosexuals if we do not reassert some kind of freedom.
Man cannot be oppressed to this extent indefinitely.
Elvis Dunderhoff contributed to this article.
