When you discover that a bunch of objects in your collection are found to be a part of the fake art created by Sadigh Gallery – objects thought to be true antiquities with their own intrinsic value – what do you do? As victims of said scandal, Berea College has decided to take on a different perspective, choosing to find value outside of the ordinary. No, these pieces have not been involved in any dances, or made for anything outside of tourism but that does not mean they are unable to educate those unaware of the traditions and values within the cultures represented. Most art would be considered valuable because of their authenticity, but what of those that demonstrate an important part of history, just made from a different distributor? As badly as these pieces were replicated, they still have educational properties as they help to tell a story and narrate important aspects of communities, some that may not even be well known to the majority of the population. The pieces may be lacking essential elements but that is where we come in to fill in the gaps. Even with the bits we received from Sadigh Gallery, our team is dedicated to piece together the story of what the value these pieces would have had, if they were in their traditional setting.
Do you think we are taking the right approach to handling faux antiquities? What would you consider doing to these arti-fakes and why?
Click on the images at the right to read our reviews of the objects.
