Magician Vanishes Coin from the British Museum to Highlight the Ethics of Historical Looting

The performance, which took place on June 18th, was actually Sartuzi's second attempt to execute the magic trick.

The British Museum was not amused by the performance, with one spokesperson calling it a “disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to handle real items and engage with history.” The statement, given to Hyperallergic, refers to the British Museum’s long-running interactive experience, which has been available to the public since the year 2000.

“Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust, and it would be a shame to have to review the provision of these services due to actions like this,” the spokesperson continued. However, Sartuzi’s lawyer argues that despite relocating the coin— since the object was never technically removed from the premises— no laws or policies were broken.

The performance, which took place on June 18th, was actually Sartuzi’s second attempt to execute the magic trick. He had been caught by a volunteer the previous day, but promptly returned clean-shaven to remediate his failed first try.

Since then, the artist has made various statements elaborating his reasoning behind the piece. His main intentions rely on subverting the historical looting done by and for imperialist forces, wishing to open a conversation on why certain forms of theft are excused, while others warrant a call to the police. He also specified that the coin he chose to relocate was the only one in the mix of British origin.

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