Since Natalie Dormer plays investigative journalist Edie Hansen in White Lies, it was hardly surprising to see her in a newsroom in the first episode. If you watched the scene in the Daily Mercury’s office closely, you may have spotted a few interesting headlines in the background. Eskom – No light at the end of the tunnel and Parliament burns. Is the country next? are very much like headlines you’d see in real life. But Artist sells himself as work of art seemed like the show’s art department having a bit of fun … or were they? It turns out, this headline is not as far-fetched as you might think.
Trundling through the interwebs to find out whether this piece of set dressing was inspired by a real story brought up another quite interesting story; namely, one of an artist who brought The Emperor’s New Clothes to life. If you don’t know or don’t remember this children’s morality tale, it follows two tailors who bamboozle an emperor into buying what they dub “the richest, most resplendent clothing in the world”. The catch? Only those with true taste can see the clothes. The tailors spend a few days “sewing” this ensemble, which the emperor duly displays with a parade through the city. Afraid to appear uncultured, the audience oohs and aahs … until a child, unfettered by the constraining pretension of society, shouts: “He’s naked!” The emperor shamefacedly admits he’s been had, but by that time the tailors have made their getaway, with the royal gold firmly tucked into their pockets.
The real-life counterpart we uncovered is not only similar but probably even more outlandish! A few years ago an Italian artist, Salvatore Garau, auctioned off an invisible sculpture for $18 300. But in Garau’s case, he was upfront about the fact that his work of art did not exist … at least not in the material sense. Garau explained his sculpture thus: “The vacuum is nothing more than a space full of energy, and even if we empty it and there is nothing left, according to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, that nothing has a weight. Therefore, it has energy that is condensed and transformed into particles, that is, into us.” Not only was Garau able to auction this work, but he actually found a buyer, who received a certificate of authenticity and an instruction manual with exactly how the sculpture should be displayed.
But what about artists who have sold themselves? While fans may accuse artists of selling out, this is meant metaphorically. We didn’t tumble across any stories of artists who have literally sold themselves (as the Daily Mercury seems to suggest), but there are plenty of examples of performance artists like Marina Abramović and Milo Moiré who use their bodies as the subject and tool of their art.
So did Edie write Artist sells himself as work of art? We think the story would have exasperated her greatly and she’d likely have been on the crime beat anyway.
Follow Edie as she tries to solve her brother’s murder in White Lies every Thursday at 20:00 on M-Net channel 101. You can also stream it on DStv Stream or watch at your leisure on DStv Catch Up. Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #WhiteLiesSA.