2008
Buy nothing and receive nothing in just 15 days
“Can I sell “Nothing”? Yes, I can. And can I sell the act of buying nothing in order to receive nothing? Yes, that is also possible. It’s a project that I launched in 2008, and which perhaps gave birth to “Buy Nothing Day”.
However, I didn’t expect “Nothing” to sell so well. I have no explanation for this. Why do people buy “Nothing” from me and receive absolutely nothing in return, in just 15 days?
Is it because I’m the first to sell “Nothing”? For me, this approach was born from a critique of contemporary art. This year I became the guy who sells Nothing.Arsen Eca
Arsen Eca, in his typically subversive way, took the notion of consumption to an unexpected extreme by selling “nothing.” The artist developed a product called “Buy Nothing,” a bold commentary on consumer culture. This innovative work of art allows people to buy “nothing”, literally paying for the absence of a physical or digital good.
The “Buy Nothing” concept was surprisingly successful, particularly in the United States, where people seemed to enjoy the humor and subversive nature of the idea. They were buying an idea, a statement, a piece of performance art.
However, this venture led to a clash with the tax authorities. Eca found himself facing a tax audit because the authorities asked him to pay value-added tax on the “nothing” he sold. This intriguing incident only added another layer to the project, reinforcing its commentary on the absurdities of consumer culture and tax systems. It’s yet another example of Eca’s talent for bending and twisting systems in humorous and thought-provoking ways.
