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Insta of the Week: Art Simulates Financial Crisis

An art installation about income inequality just became an art installation about all-out financial chaos.
What the installation originally looked like. Image courtesythe artist

A photo posted by Iván Sikic (@ivansikic) on Jul 29, 2015 at 4:38am PDT

Last week we covered Peruvian artist Iván Sikic's installation visualizing income inequality with balloons, thumbtacks, and a gold brick, It's My Party and I Do What I Want To. The 99 silver balloons reflect the 99%, whose very existence supports the brick (the 1%) and keeps them away from the thumbtacks (the danger of economic uncertainty).

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As of two days ago, the installation—like the economy in 2008—crashed to the ground. "But, you notice, the brick is still ok," Sikic explains to The Creators Project, pointing out that the tacks were always more dangerous to the balloons than the bricks anyway. He didn't plan it, but the materials were truer to Sikic's ideas than even he knew. It's a candid art moment caught on film, but this time it's the artwork itself that's being candid.

One new, silver balloon is added to the floating installation at the Luis Adelantado Gallery each week, representing a growing underclass who support the rich. Sikic comments on Instagram, "It's My Party and I Do What I Want To has made an important shift. The work will continue to change while on view."

Follow Iván Sikic on Instagram to keep track of those changes, and visit his website for more of his work.

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