The invisible artwork, “formed by air and spirit,” sparks debate over art, value, and illusion.
Italian artist Salvatore Garau sparked global attention when he sold an invisible sculpture titled “Io Sono” (I Am) for €15,000, which is approximately $17,400 USD at current exchange rates. The only physical item given to the buyer was a certificate of authenticity confirming the existence of the work.
This is not his first venture into the invisible: previous works include “Buddha in Contemplation” and “Afrodite Piange.”
The Return to Virality
Although the piece was sold in 2021, the sculpture gained renewed attention recently after a post by the British Instagram profile Pubity, which has more than 40 million followers, went viral. The post reignited debate over the boundary between art and illusion, prompting people to ask: can nothing have value?
Auction in Italy & Anonymous Buyer
The sculpture was sold in May 2021 at an online auction held by the Milan-based auction house Art-Rite. The buyer chose to remain anonymous but paid the full asking price — the work, according to Garau, was to be displayed in an empty space of approximately 1.5 by 1.5 meters (or roughly 2 m x 2 m), per the certificate’s specifications.
Work “Made of Air and Spirit”
Garau explains that the sculpture is composed of “air and spirit”, and that it is the emptiness which gives the work its power. He says that this emptiness provokes perception, reflection and discomfort — emotions he considers sufficient for the art. He even asserts that “nothing is also art.”
“The vacuum is nothing more than a space full of energy, even if we empty it. According to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, there is energy which condenses and transforms into particles — in other words, us,” Garau declared.
He adds that by “exhibiting” an immaterial sculpture in a given space, that space itself starts to concentrate energy and thoughts, thereby becoming the artwork.
“When I decide to exhibit an immaterial sculpture, the space concentrates a density of thoughts in a precise point, creating a sculpture that will only assume the most varied forms. After all, don’t we mould a God we’ve never seen?” he completes.
Certificate & Display Instructions
The certificate states the work is an “immaterial sculpture to be placed in a space free of any obstacles,” with variable dimensions approximately 200 x 200 cm. The document is signed and sealed by the artist, registered under number IM5, and lists the provenance as a private collection in Milan.
Interestingly, the certificate mentions that special lighting or climate control are optional, since the piece cannot be seen in any way.
Art or Illusion? Someone dropped over $17,000 to find out.