A couple in South Korea accidentally ruined a $500,000 artwork, which they mistook for a piece of “participatory art”
CCTV cameras at Seoul’s Lotte World Mall art gallery captured footage of the two splatterings and rubbing paint on a painting.
The untitled artwork, measuring 240 cm by 700 cm, comes from graffiti artist JonOne, during a 2016 painting in front of an audience in Seoul.
As the painting moved from exhibit to exhibit, the brushes and paint traveled with it. The couple said they saw the painting supplies and thought the art was open participation, deciding to add their own touches.
While the couple was arrested, art gallery staff decided not to press charges because it was an honest mistake.
“They thought they were allowed to do that as participatory art and made a mistake,” said Kang Wook, the head of the exhibition. “We are currently in discussions with the artist about whether to restore it,” Wook added.
Following the incident, the exhibit’s organizers have now put up a wire fence around the painting, and added a sign saying ‘Do not touch’.
To read more about artists adding their own touches to others, read about this visually striking graffiti here.
