-Rolexgate

24 kt gold, 11 ct diamonds, agathe, 16 x 79 x 9 cm
Train dimensions: 10 x 2 x 3 cm
Track dimensions: 38 x 3 cm
Gold weight 2,3 kg

Rolexgate is a sculpture depicting the entrance-gate to Auschwitz and with an added feature, which is not part of the original building: a Rolex showing the time: five-to-twelve. The building is made in pure gold, and a small train made of a total of 11 ct diamonds, filled with faces already turned into skulls, is headed for the entrance.

The sculpture recalls the horrors of WWII and the genocide on Jews and other minorities, as well as the looting of the victims´ possessions. As stated in a famous report by ambassador Eizenstat in 1997, the role of Switzerland in that connection was rather dubious, the country being neutral and as such buying as well as providing a safe hide-out for Nazi Germany´s gold.

Evaristti, who is of Jewish origins, was a few years ago introduced to a man in Austria, who this very day sells teeth with gold fillings together with other Nazi relics. Partly shocked, partly upset that the atrocities still live on in a fetished form, Evaristti decided to buy some teeth. These teeth, together with a few teeth with gold fillings from his grandmother, that have been passed on to him through the generations, have been melted with the gold and are thus part of the sculpture.

Diamonds are the result of a long process where carbon under high pressure transforms into an extremely hard, clear mineral. For billions of years the diamonds travel through the Earth to finally see the light and be found, polished and appreciated for their exclusivity, beauty and durability. The diamond filled train stands as a symbol of how time alone never erases the past, and how what is hidden underneath the surface can appear again and again.

Rolexgate in few, clear sentences tells what we should never forget. And by intertwining different related stories, we are reminded of the two true victories of war: atrocity and greediness.

Press:
http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/kulturheute/868120/
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/857383/017/2610530/RADAR.html