Unreal Fortune
Unreal fortune, 2020 - ongoing
air, glass, metal, paper
28 cm x 22 cm x 5,5 cm
15 000 € for an individual jar
150 000 € for the whole set
Full context
In May of 2020, I filled jars with air from the meadow and put them up for sale on Etsy for a horrendous price. That work was about putting value on invaluable resources, such as, at the time, COVID-free air. Air which wasn’t cycled through over and over again. As opposed to the air in the apartments of people forced to quarantine.
None of the jars have been sold yet, and I've been living with 10 jars of air priced at 15 000 € each for 5 years now. It’s a curious state of quantum superposition. They are worth that much because I proclaimed it so. They are not worth that much because no one has paid for them yet.
As a result, I’ve been walking through life as a struggling artist and a very rich person simultaneously.
The title has a double, indeterminate meaning. On the one hand, ‘unreal fortune’ can be seen as ‘unbelievable luck’. On the other hand, it’s just ‘virtual, imaginary wealth’. As the idea and collection of jars, they have no problem existing without being classified as truth. Until they are sold, that is.
Over the years, I came up with so many slogans to help my work reach its final shape.
Whiff of simpler times? (A morbid joke about the pandemic being nothing compared to what is happening in the world currently).
Prank Christmas gift for the 1% (nozzled between another expensive watch and a packet of shares of this or the other corporation).
I’m standing in my unwavering conviction that one day, hopefully soon, a patron will find me for whom it’s not that much money.
They engage with my whimsy, measure the spin of worthiness and collapse the infinity into a purchase.
Overall, the work speaks about a possibly delusional hope for a big break, patience and unwavering faith.
Buy now:
Unreal Fortune is a conceptual artwork that captures the ephemeral and invaluable—air. This thought-provoking piece features 149.5 ml of fresh free-range air from a Polish meadow, sealed on May 22, 2020, within glass jars. The collection invites viewers to question the nature of value and wealth. Each jar (28 cm x 22 cm x 5.5 cm) is priced at 15,000 €, with the complete set available for 150,000 €.
Through this work, the artist reflects on the dichotomy of worth: the jars hold immense value because of the artist's proclamation, yet remain unsold. This paradox mirrors the experience of navigating life as both a struggling artist and a "wealthy" individual, underscoring themes of hope, patience, and faith.
Dive deeper into the inspiration and meaning behind Unreal Fortune by exploring the artist's creative process and its intriguing quantum-like state of existence.
Price: 15,000 € per jar | 150,000 € for the complete set.
Full artist statement
Video for the first artwork
Featured in an Art Collide Emerging Artists online exhibition in 2024.
