Alexander Liew - Commodifying Heritage
Venice’s physical architecture must be commemorated, even if the city must resort to the commerce that continues to destroy it.
Venice is facing a fragile future as the city attempts to prevent the permanent loss of its physical heritage. The Auction imagines a scenario whereby Venice‘s iconic architecture is put up for sale throughout the city. In a critique of the commodification of heritage, pieces of Venice are pulled apart in a final act of commemoration, and sold off to the highest bidder at the Venice Auction House. The façades of Venice are like a patch-work, they stitch together to form a textured blanket that depicts a rich and meaningful history. Individually revered as masterpieces and either hidden away in archives or displayed to discerning crowds, Venice is forever preserved.