A well-intentioned volunteer at an art museum has inadvertently ruined a contemporary artwork after mistaking it for a grimy mirror in need of cleaning.
The avant-garde work was robbed of its apparent meaning after the worker used toilet paper to wipe away what appeared to be dirt from a reflective surface.
The artwork had accumulated four decades of dust as an integral element of its artistic composition, which was largely removed during the impromptu cleaning session.
Staff at the Keelung Museum of Art in Taiwan attempted to stop the cleaning once they realised what was happening, but significant damage had already been done to the installation.
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The destroyed piece, titled "Inverted Syntax-16", was created by artist Chen Sung-chih and consisted of a mirror mounted on a simple wooden board.
A deliberate smudge at the centre of the mirror represented the cultural awareness of middle-class society, according to the artwork's description.
The volunteer apparently failed to recognise the artistic significance of the accumulated grime and proceeded to clean the surface, believing it required maintenance.
Before other museum personnel could intervene, the volunteer had removed most of the dust that had gathered over forty years, fundamentally altering the artwork's intended appearance.
A volunteer worker accidentally destroyed a piece of contemporary art while trying to clean it
| GOOGLEThe installation formed part of the museum's We Are Me exhibition, which presents artworks constructed from construction materials and domestic items.
Mr Chen's artistic practice involves reimagining commonplace objects to investigate concepts of remembrance, ceremony and change.
His installations incorporate aged mirrors and textile meshes combined with unfinished panels to represent themes of vanishing and instability, whilst contemplating human endurance and evolution.
The exhibition showcases how artists transform mundane household materials into thought-provoking contemporary pieces.
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The hapless volunteer wiped away dust with toilet paper, which was an integral part of the piece
|JAMPRESS
The Keelung Culture and Tourism Bureau has issued an apology to the artist and may need to provide financial compensation for the incident.
Legal expert Tsai Chia-hao suggested that removing dust from an artwork might not qualify as physical property damage, potentially complicating any compensation claims.
Several art critics have proposed that the unintentional cleaning has become an integral component of the installation and should be preserved in its current state.
The museum has acknowledged that restoring the piece to its original condition appears impossible, leaving questions about the artwork's future unresolved.
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