rolex

Rolexgate

2007

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.

Rolexgate ia a true miniature copy of the entrance-gate to Auschwitz and with an added feature, which is not part of the original building: a Rolex watch 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.
Having been introduced to a man in Austria, who this very day sells teeth with gold fillings along with other Nazi relics, Evaristti - partly shocked, partly upset that the atrocities still live on in a fetisized form - decided to buy the entire jar of gold-filled teeth. These, together with a few teeth with gold fillings from his grandmother (Evaristti is of Jewish origins), that had 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 proces 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.

When dressing the most horrifying item up in gold and diamonds Evaristti makes a clear cut comment to the flipside of glamour. We go blind in our greed, be it for power or luxury. Even if it looks pretty – it might just very well not be.