Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Monday, Mar 27, 2023

Curse of King Tut? Hong Kong Art Basel bust on Taobao without artist’s knowledge

Curse of King Tut? Hong Kong Art Basel bust on Taobao without artist’s knowledge

Vendor on online shopping platform appears to sell exact replicas of 10-metre tall inflatable.

A huge inflatable bust of ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun on display at a Hong Kong shopping centre as part of this year’s Art Basel has been found to be available for custom orders without the artist’s knowledge on Chinese online shopping platform Taobao.

One vendor was selling what appeared to be exact replicas of Gravity, the 10-metre tall piece designed by American artist Awol Erizku, for as low as 520 yuan (US$75.50), prompting a warning about copyright infringement by his representative.

“This is a unique work of art by Awol Erizku and copyright sits with the artist,” Ben Brown Fine Arts, who represents the artist, said in a statement. “Any infringement of the artist’s intellectual property will be thoroughly investigated and if such infringement is found true, appropriate actions will be taken.”

A vendor on Taobao was selling what appeared to be exact replicas of Gravity.


The vendor was Guangzhou-based company Bingo Inflatables, which manufactures goods such as Christmas decorations and advertising displays.

On Taobao, the price for the replica ranged from 520 yuan to 28,800 yuan, while the size of the product matched the specifications of the original work, and the listing included photos that appeared identical to those shared by Erizku on his official Instagram account.

The contractor hired to make Gravity confirmed to the Post that the manufacturing was outsourced to Bingo Inflatables.

The Post reached out to Bingo Inflatables for comment. An employee who answered the phone said over messaging platform WeChat that the artwork was a customised product and that they needed the permission of the customer to sell it.

Follow-up questions went unanswered. The Post was subsequently blocked and the listing was taken down.

It was unclear how long the listing had been up on Taobao.

Art Basel, the annual contemporary art fair, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

“Copyright and appropriation is still a big topic nowadays, especially in the digital world,” said Jeremy Ip, founder of Wure Area, an independent art gallery in Hong Kong.

The listing on Taobao includes photos that appear identical to those shared by the artist.


Ip said although it was hard to track counterfeits and copies of artwork, the original would always maintain its importance as it was presented alongside the artist’s own “shareable perspectives and attitudes”.

Gravity, which is available for viewing at Pacific Place in Admiralty, is part of Art Basel’s Encounters series featuring large-scale installations.

According to a profile on the annual fair’s website, Erizku began conceptualising the piece before the coronavirus pandemic, and he designed it specifically for display in Hong Kong.

Erizku was born in Ethiopia and studied fine arts at The Cooper Union in New York. His work has been exhibited in cities across the world, from Los Angeles to Dublin and Hangzhou.

Gravity is available for viewing until April 2.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
Singapore’s Prime Minister says China and US need to stabilize relations because world can't afford a confict between the two superpowers
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
Police violence in Paris
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
2 universities in Hong Kong embrace use of ChatGPT, other AI tools
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
Missing Chinese banker was working to set up Singapore family office
Hong Kong ditches Covid mask mandate after 945 days
Xi Jinping and His Wife Meet with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
×