A gold cube, reportedly worth €10 million and billed as a conceptual work of art, has been installed in the heart of Venice, in front of the a' di Dio near St Mark's Square. According to a press release, "The Castello Cube is a conceptual work that appears to have arrived from another world and will now stand on the cobblestones of Venice, without a pedestal." Dieter Buchhart, an art historian, and the German artist Niclas Castello unveiled the piece today. The Castello Cube is made of 400lbs (186kg) of pure 24-karat gold and is hollow on the inside. The piece arrived by boat and was craned into place at 5.30 a.m. today. It is placed on the dirty pavement rather than on a plinth on purpose. "It is grounded in reality, which is important," Buchhart says. "It has no place here. It also leaves an imprint on the surface where it is placed."
Many people do not notice the sculpture, which is located in a thoroughfare along the Venice waterfront, despite the fact that it is surrounded by a security detail of seven men. "Take a look at where we are today," Buchhart says. "They pass by. Why? It's natural to be intrigued or astounded. It reveals a great deal about perception." Despite its monetary worth, the cube will never be sold, according to a spokeswoman. The work was accompanied by a related NFT (non-fungible token) that will be available later this year, as well as a new digital currency known as Castello Coin.
The Castello Cube was unveiled earlier this year in New York's Central Park. "The plot [event] was Castello's own way of promoting the launch of his upcoming non-fungible token (whatever that means), but New Yorkers took advantage of the opportunity to turn the odd installation into a hilarious topic of conversation on social media," wrote Time Out. The sculpture is on display until 8 p.m. today, and this time the public is invited to touch it. "It's incredibly soft," says Buchhart. "You literally imprint the gold when you touch it; it absorbs a piece of you. It binds us all together." The piece is scheduled to travel to unspecified locations in the future.
Selena Mattei