This series is composed of over a hundred thousand images and records of artworks appropriated from Sotheby's auctions to turn them into further financial derivatives. Cirio overlaid the auction prices over the images works and sells them as digital artworks on the website
Art-Derivatives.com for a fraction of the value set at the auctions. A "future" financial derivative contract is integrated into the work and signed by the buyers and the artist Cirio at the time of sale. By betting against future prices of derivative works, everyday investors can ironically participate in the financialization of art. In doing so the project aims to subvert the art market with its own logic. As a form of institutional critique,
Derivatives reflects on the speculative value of images in the representation of art as a financial instrument. The aesthetics of art is often judged by the inflated prices. As such, in this work, the images are seen through their financial qualities rather than their visual features and artistic merits. In addition, the project campaigns for enacting more transparency and fairness in the art market. In order to provoke regulation, Cirio has investigated secrecy and manipulation of art auctions with
extensive research. This work seeks to tackle practices that generate inequality within the art world, as well as improper use of wealth and art itself.
Selected pictures of installations at the following shows
NOME, Berlin;
Musuem PAN, Naples;
Chronus Art Center, Shanghai.
Selected shows and presentations history
Information Critique, exhibition at Museum PAN Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, 2020, Naples - Italy
We=Link: Sideways, exhibition at Chronus Art Center, 2020, Shanghai - China
Images Rights, solo show at NOME Gallery, 2019, Berlin - Germany
