In a complete disconnect between the glitzy world of high art and the working classes, an installation at a museum in Italy by Milanese artists Goldschmied & Chiari entitled “Where Are We Going to Dance Tonight?”, consisting of 300 empty champagne bottles, confetti, and cigarette butts spread around the room resembling the aftermath of a wild party, ended up in the garbage after a team of hardworking Italian cleaners moved in after the opening and cleaned house. The work was inspired by the Italy of the 1980s, “a period characterized by consumerism, hedonism, by socialist politicians and their never-ending parties,” in the artists’ eyes, but it was just a little bit too convincing for the cleaning crew. “We told them just to clean the foyer because that’s where the event on Friday night had been,” lamented the museum’s director, Letizia Ragaglia. “Evidently, they mistook the installation for the foyer.” Fortunately, the janitorial staff had conscientiously sorted the artwork into glass and paper for recycling, and the museum was able to salvage and reinstall it.
Art For Trash’s Sake
