Besty & Moronica

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Eva and Franco Mattes

Darko Maver
One of the biggest artistic deceptions in recent years

Darko Maver was undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic figures of the art world in recent years. The rumors about Maver and his work began in 1998 within the circles of underground artists in Europe: an artist wandering in decaying Yugoslavia, living in motels and deserted buildings, creating crushed plastic dolls that remind us of abused tortured people. In Yugoslavia, Maver was accused of anti-patriotism, his work was censured and he was persecuted. Later on, copies of his works were shown in exhibitions around Europe.

In the beginning of 2000 "The Great Art Swindle" is revealed to the whole world. In a long press release the artist duo known as 0100101110101101.ORG claims the operation: «I declare I've invented the life and the works of the Serbian artist Darko Maver, born in Krupanj in 1962 and dead in the prison of Podgorica the 30th of April 1999»

The K Thing

The night of December the 2nd 2001, at 2 AM - Seoul local time - Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.ORG hijacked all the visitors of the firstKorea Web Art Festival, held in Seoul, South Korea. They hacked into the festival website and exchanged all the artists' works.

Each work got linked to another one, so that for few hours whoever entered the festival website did not see the work he intened to see but a different one. None of the works were erased or modified, they were only exchanged.