Sleight of Hand, 2023-2024Two-channel video installationColour, sound, 8’43’’ Testing the boundaries of the law, London-based Brazilian artist Ilê Sartuzi performed a sleight of hand, temporarily “stealing” a historical coin from the collection of the British Museum. After more than a year of planning, the artist secretly exchanged a 1645 silver coin minted in Newark during […]
Money and its Double, 2025photograph, gelatin silver print on paper23 x 15.2 cm The object that is captured in the two 35mm black-and-white negatives that compose these photographs is a replica of a 1645 silver coin minted in Newark during the English Civil War and that was available in Room 68 of the British Museum […]
False Alarm: Symphony for Museum, 2023-2025 universal fire alarm, high-power bell,signaling siren, buzzer, microcontroller, relays variable dimensions, 01’49’’, four times a day The symphony first start as if an alarm went off, disturbing the normal experience for the visitor. From there, different “voices” and layers gather to create this complex arrangement of sounds in a […]
beep 2023-2025buzzer, microcontroller, laser and sensor modules variable dimensions On their way out, when one is trying to leave the room, they will trigger the alarm. The sensor is one of those normally used in museums and exhibition spaces to control the proximity of the visitor in relation to the works. In this way, every […]
turn me off, 2023-2025switch, microcontroller, relay, speaker variable dimensions In this hall, near the elevator, a voice — at first low and muffled — is coming from the inside of a light switch on the wall. This small object repeats, with a certain variation, the phrase “turn me off”. Whispering from the wall, and then […]
Signal, 2021-2025modified museum lights, microcontroller, relays variable dimensions Still on an infrastructural level, the lights of the space don’t seem to be working properly. They have a life of their own. They blink. They communicate with each other. There is an encrypted signal message and a response. In morse code. Or they play games of imitation, […]
Watchman, 2023-2025security camera, aluminum, DC motor, signal converter and TV variable dimensions At the center of the room, the most visible intervention, there is a camera that spins on its vertical axis. Hanging from the ceiling, the CCTV camera transmits the live image of the room to a TV in the space. As the camera […]
trickMuseum of Contemporary Art – USPSão Paulo, BrazilMarço – Junho 2025 curator: Marcela Vieirainstitutional curator: Heloisa Espada click here to read the textsclick here to download the pdf Mateus Nunes – Did Ilê Sartuzi Rob the British Museum? (Frieze) Trick consists of a series of subtle interventions — similar to magic tricks — that reveal […]
Sleight of HandGoldsmiths, University of LondonJuly 2024 read about: Oliver Basciano – How to Steal from the British Museum – a Brazilian’s Artist Guide (ArtReview) Brandon Sward – Brazilian Conceptual Artist Steals Historic Coin From the British Museum (Hyperallergic) Evan Moffitt – Another object has been stolen from the British Museum but this time by […]
Sleight of Hand, 2023-2024Score