Ditte Ejlerskov’s The Wrestlers is part of a millennia-long Eurocentric tradition of copying, and sometimes slightly modifying, this sculptural representation of the two struggling bodies. The Ufizzi Wrestlers is itself a marble copy of the now-lost Greek original in bronze. Other replicas in bronze and plaster exist in numerous copies across the globe. Despite being one of Western art history’s most well-known works, its origin and the original artist remain unknown.
The work is envisioned as a new kind of public sculpture: it exists both as a unique work in the museum’s permanent collection and as an art work in the public domain, available to everyone as a free download. Ejlerskov has waived her rights to the work, allowing everyone to use and transform it, free of charge and with no strings attached. This means that anyone can download, print, animate and reshape the sculpture as they wish.
The Museum of Contemporary Art has acquired the virtual sculpture as a so-called NFT, Non-Fungible Token. NFT technology is a way of proving ownership of a digital object, and Ejlerskov is among the first visual artists in Denmark to explore this field. NFT technology is based on the same technology as cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Etherium: so-called blockchains, which in recent decades have created a revolution in the financial world by establishing electronic currencies that are not regulated in the same way as the traditional ones. For Ejlerskov, the new technology signals an era in which the old financial system will be replaced by a new, fairer and more transparent global system.
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Museum of Contemporary Art
Den Gamle Byrådssal
Stændertorvet 1, 4000 Roskilde
Accessibility:
Level-free access – no, but it’s possible to use an elevator
Handicap toilet – yes
Free for companion – yes