Mediamatic on location: Dead Darlings Auction IV

Inadvertent Copy, unintentional facsimile and innocent rip-offs

19 Ara 2009
19 Ara 2009

Dead Darlings is an anonymous and subversive auction series that started in Amsterdam in 2005. “Inadvertent copy” is our fourth event. The Auction is organised by Dead Darlings and Mediamatic. The auction takes place at Mass, a full scale temporary project of Freudenthal / Verhagen at Kerkstraat 58 (near Leidsestraat).

By tradition, we auction the works anonymously. We do this in an effort to give the works an opportunity to stand on their own, free of the names of their creators. Therefore, all the lots will be introduced by title only. The names of the contributing, artists will be listed on our website, but will not be revealed in connection to the works until sales are final.

Viewing starts at 18:00. Auction starts at 20:00. All payments in cash only!

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Dead Darlings IV -

Dead Darlings are works that may have lost their relevance in the artist’s overall production. Yet they may have retained some relevance to the artist, some meaning derived from the act of creating the work. Ultimately, they are the innocent victims of the artistic process. We, however, want to give them a chance to be liberated from their woeful existence and appreciated for the qualities they display as singular, autonomous entities.

With each auction we attempt to come up with a theme that explores a different aspect of why a darling may have been killed...

A-typical

For our third edition in 2008 the theme was: “A-typical”. This was an opportunity to question the formal or thematic elements that comprise the identity of a work. Through the consideration of this theme we wanted to inspire the artists to select a piece that departs from expectations and questions the characteristics of his or her practice.

Inadvertent copy

Our upcoming fourth edition, “Inadvertent copy” is even more challenging in its nature. At some point, most artists have made a work that REALLY looks like a well-known artist’s specific work, the work of a colleague or resembles the general oeuvre of another. The result is an unintentional facsimile, an innocent rip-off if you will…

Sometimes this happens because the “original” work has somehow been unwittingly absorbed into the subconscious. Other times it is a complete coincidence, something floating in the zeitgeist. After all, great minds think alike!

These are the works that we have put out a call for... This theme also gives us a chance to play with the inherent anonymity of Dead Darlings, as the names of the “Copied” artists, make the anonymous works eponymous once more...But the mystery of the true maker remains!

Curious? Intrigued? Come see for yourselves. As always we have invited artists from different backgrounds, age groups, career levels, and mediums, who are willing to part with a work they love. The starting prices are low and this gives each of you the chance to own an original artwork, even if it is an “inadvertent copy”...

We look forward to seeing you at the Auction!