An artist has defended plans to destroy masterpieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt and Andy Warhol with acid if Julian Assange dies in prison.
Andrei Molodkin says he has collected 16 works of art – estimated to have a combined value of more than $45 million (£42.77 million) – in a 29-tonne cabinet containing a “highly corrosive” material.
Inside the vault are boxes containing the artwork and an air pump that connects two white barrels — one containing an acidic powder and the other equipped with an accelerator that can cause a chemical reaction strong enough to turn the contents of the vault into rubble, Molodkin claims.
Julian Assange in 2017 – and the alleged vault containing works of art that would be destroyed if he died in prison. Photos: AP/Al-Masbah Studio
The project – called “Dead Man's Switch” – is gaining support Assange Stella's wife, whose husband is awaiting a final appeal against extradition to the United States, where he faces charges under the Espionage Act.
the Wikileaks Its founder is wanted in America due to an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose information related to national defense after publishing hundreds of thousands of leaked documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 52-year-old denies any wrongdoing.
He has been detained in Belmarsh Prison in London for nearly five years, and his final appeal will be heard at the High Court in London on February 20-21.
Assange's supporters say he faces 175 years in prison if extradited. His lawyer claims the Australian's life is “at risk” if the appeal fails.
Stella Assange supports Andrei Molodkin's project “Dead Man's Switch”. Pic: PA
“In our catastrophic time – when we have so many wars – destroying art is much more taboo than destroying a person's life,” Molodkin told Sky News.
“Since Julian Assange has been in prison…freedom of expression, freedom of expression and freedom of information have started to be more and more suppressed. I feel that way more strongly now.”
The Russian defector refused to reveal the art objects inside the vault, but said they included works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Warhol, Jasper Johns, Janis Kounellis, Robert Rauschenberg, Sarah Lucas, Santiago Sierra, Jake Chapman, and Molodkin himself, among others.
The artist says the artworks are in boxes. Photo: Andrey Molodkin/Foundry Studio
“I think if something happened and we erased some masterpiece, it would be erased from history, and no one would know what kind of masterpiece it was,” he says.
“We have all the documents and photographed them all.”
The artist says the safe will be closed on Friday and is kept in Molodkin's studio in southern France, but he plans to move it to a museum.
Explaining how a “dead man's switch” works, he says the countdown timer must be reset 24 hours before it reaches zero to prevent the release of corrosive materials.
Molodkin's sketches for the Dead Man's Switch project. Photo: Andrey Molodkin/Foundry Studio
He says this will be done through a “person close” to Assange, stressing that he is still alive in prison every day, which means the timer can be reactivated.
Molodkin adds that if Assange is released from prison, the artworks will be returned to their owners.
He admits that “a lot of collectors are really scared” of accidentally spilling acid, but insists the work was done “very professionally”.
Molodkin says he would feel “no emotion” if art was destroyed because “freedom is much more important.”
Artist Andrei Molodkin
Giampaolo Abbondio, who owns an art gallery in Milan, says he submitted Picasso's artworks to the vault, and signed a non-disclosure agreement preventing him from revealing any of them.
He said his first response when asked to participate was: “No way,” but he was convinced by Moldkin, whom he has known since 2008.
“It brought me to the idea that it was more important for the world to have one Assange rather than an additional Picasso, so I decided to accept,” Abbondio told Sky News.
“Let's say I'm optimistic and I loaned it out. If Assange is released, I can get it back.”
“Picasso's number could range from 10,000 to 100 million, but I don't think it's the number of zeros that makes it more important when we're talking about human life.”
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June 2022: Why is Assange wanted in the United States?
Artist Franco B says he submitted one of the works that will be kept in the vault.
“It's a beautiful piece… it's one of my best works,” he told Sky News.
“I thought it was important to do something that mattered to me. I didn't donate something I found in the corner of my studio. I donated a piece of work that was very dear to me that speaks to freedom and control.
“It's significant. It's a small gesture compared to what Assange has done and what he's going through.”
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Ms Assange, who has two children with her husband, told Sky News: “Which is a greater taboo: the destruction of art or the destruction of human life?
“The Dead Man's Key is a work of art. The political imprisonment of Julian is a real act of terrorism against democracy.
“The real goals here are not just Julian Assange, but the public’s right to know, and the future of the ability to hold power to account.
“If democracy wins, the art will be preserved, as will Julian’s life.”
Assange has been detained in Belmarsh Prison since his arrest in April 2019 after leaving the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he requested political asylum in June 2012.
UK Government Agreed to extradite Assange To the United States in June 2022.
