Christoph Büchel's Monte di Pietà at Fondazione Prada explores debt with lab-grown diamonds made from his feces.
From April 20 to November 24, Swiss artist Christoph Büchel showcases Monte di Pietà at Fondazione Prada's Ca’ Corner della Regina in Venice. This installation pays homage to the palazzo's legacy as a pawn bank operating from 1834 until 1969. A notable element is The Diamond Maker, featuring lab-grown diamonds derived from Büchel's unsold pieces and his DNA, a process that will persist until his passing. Büchel is recognized for his previous works, such as the 2019 Venice Biennale installation Barca Nostra, which highlighted a migrant boat wreck, and the controversial 2015 THE MOSQUE, which was closed by officials. His 2006 project at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art sparked a significant lawsuit and his collaborations with Hauser & Wirth and Maccarone are characterized by ongoing disputes.
Key facts
- Christoph Büchel's Monte di Pietà exhibition runs 20 April – 24 November at Fondazione Prada's Ca' Corner della Regina in Venice
- The exhibition features lab-grown diamonds made from Büchel's feces and unsold works, produced since 2020
- Büchel's 2019 Venice Biennale installation Barca Nostra displayed a migrant boat wreck that sank in 2015 with estimated 1,000 deaths
- His 2006 Mass MOCA project Training Ground for Democracy led to a lawsuit about artists' rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act
- Büchel's 2015 Venice Biennale mosque installation was shut down by authorities within two weeks
- The 2002 Zurich exhibition Capital Affair was cancelled two hours before opening due to a dispute over a hidden CHF 50,000 cheque
- His 2014 MONA exhibition Land of David in Tasmania was removed after controversy over DNA testing without Aboriginal consultation
- Büchel's 2018 MAGA organization petitioned to designate Trump border wall prototypes as national monuments
Entities
Artists
- Christoph Büchel
- Gianni Motti
- Asger Jorn
- Joseph Beuys
- Martha Rosler
- David Walsh
- Critchley Parker
- Adolf Eichmann
- Solomon Guggenheim
- Roberta Smith
- Virginia Rutledge
- Karen Archey
- Eleanor Paynter
- Nicole Miller
- Greg Lehman
- Heather Sculthorpe
- Amy Spiers
- Ory Dessau
- Gareth Harris
- Alexandra Stock
- Randy Kennedy
- Jim Thompson
- Iwan Wirth
- Stephanie Bailey
Institutions
- Fondazione Prada
- Venice Biennale
- Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MOCA)
- Helmhaus
- Hauser & Wirth
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- Maccarone
- Frieze London
- Frieze New York
- Centre Culturel Suisse à Paris
- Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
- SMAK Ghent
- Fridericianum
- The New York Times
- The Art Newspaper
- Metropolis M
- Mercury
- ABC News
- Forensic Oceanography
- Association Internationale Africaine
- Royal Museum of Central Africa
- Comitato 18 Aprile
- Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
- Australian Liberal Party
- Decode Genetics
- Roche
- SDA/SDAI
- CIA
- EU agency Frontex
- European Parliament
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Ca' Corner della Regina
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Massachusetts
- United States
- Kassel
- Germany
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Hobart
- Tasmania
- Australia
- Southwest National Park
- Ghent
- Belgium
- Brussels
- Libya
- Lampedusa
- Sicily
- Augusta
- Calais
- Israel
- Palestine
- Congo
- Syria
- Iraq
- Somalia
- Afghanistan
- Hong Kong
- Guantánamo Bay
- Cuba
- Mexico
- Mediterranean