I recently took the liberty to temporarily modify a part of an exhibition organised at our faculty. This is a reflection on why I did it and what I learned from this about uninvited practice.

In some ways, emulating the piece by long-gone art idols like Rembrandt can be perceived as the greatest form of flattery. Fascinated by the mythical capabilities of the artist’s hand, art forgers depart on a journey of artist’s reincarnation and channelling supernatural ability to translate imaginary onto the canvas through their own hands. However, this incredible skill is considered fraudulent craftsmanship and a punishable career path by law. What mistakes do art forgers make on their way to the masterpiece (aka a fake) which expose their activities to the eyes of authorities? At the same time, why are we so obsessed with originals condemning the masters of copy-making and what does it reveal about our relationship with art?

We all know about it. It’s in the news every day. We know we should change our behavior and we know we don’t have any time to lose. Yet we still don’t manage to give up on the simplest things. We don’t want to lose our privileges and for sure not relinquish our way of life. We all know that we live in abundance, that overconsumption is not good for our planet with limited resources. Our habits are draining the Earth of its energy. So the question remains how can we change? How can we let go? And will this help us to finally enter a phase where we are not exploitative to our home anymore?