Would you call this an instance of usable art? The Guggenheim Museum will soon install a solid gold toilet in one of their public restrooms. The 18 carat solid gold (solid gold you guys!) toilet has been created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan who actually took a break from retirement to create this throne. While other important artwork requires you to maintain a safe distance, this is one sculpture that you can seriously get up close and personal with. The toilet will be fully functional and equipped with proper plumbing. “You can lock the door and have your experience, whether that be just looking at the toilet or using it,” Guggenheim publicist Molly Stewart told the New York Daily News.
The work is titled “Maurizio Cattelan: America” (not sure if Americans should be taking that as a complement) and Stewart believes this could be the first time a usable toilet has been on display at the Guggenheim.
“There’s the risk that people will think of it as a joke, maybe, but I don’t see it as a joke,” Cattelan told the New York Times, “I was born in a condition where I was — how do you say? — forced to think about that. It’s not my job to tell people what a work means. But I think people might see meaning in this piece.” Cattelan was raised in Padua, Italy, and is the son of a truck driver and a cleaning woman.
The toilet will be fixed into a unisex bathroom with its own full-time security guard. Whether you decide to look at it, or use it this is sure to be one exhibit like no other.
[ Via : Nytimes ]
