A Russian artist who previously created a series of NFTs depicting a blood-soaked Vladimir Putin says he will destroy masterpieces by Picasso, Rembrandt and Warhol worth $45 million if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange dies in prison.
Andrei Molodkin’s art project ‘Dead Man’s Switch’ has seen him collect 16 famous works of art in a 29-ton vault, along with two barrels filled with an “extremely corrosive” substance.
After 24 hours, the barrels are rigged to destroy the art. Only when ‘someone close to Assange’ confirms daily that he is still alive will the timer be reset and the acid kept at bay. If Assange is released, the art will return to its owners.
The project is inspired by Assange’s fight against extradition to the US, where he faces charges under the Espionage Act. He will file his final appeal next week. If he doesn’t succeed, his supporters say he will faces a prison sentence of 175 years.
Sketches of the vault with artwork by Andrei Molodkin, shared by Sky News.
“Since Julian Assange has been in prison… freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of information has been increasingly suppressed,” Molodkin told Sky News. He says that if art were destroyed, he would feel “no emotion” as “freedom is much more important.”
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The vault, which will reportedly be sealed this Friday, also houses work by Santiago Sierra, Sarah Lucas, Jannis Kounellis, Jasper Johns, Jake Chapman, Molodkin himself and others. Molodkin did not reveal which specific pieces are in the safe.
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Molodkin previously created a series of 24 NFTs depicting Vladimir Putin covered in blood in support of Ukraine’s defense in the war against Russia. Each NFT would be dedicated to a city in Ukraine that was bombed by Russia.
“The work, shown on the day of victory on the tanks of Red Square through augmented reality, has evolved into the metaverse,” the collection states, while adding that the money raised from the collection , will be used given to UNICEF to help finance blood transfusions.
Julian Assange also appeared at a virtual ‘metaverse’ protest last year, described as a Web3 political rally where participants protested his extradition to the US.