Nationale Reserve

1.000 Bars Made From 100.000 Melted Covid-19 Protective Masks

Size: ca. 14 x 6 x 4 cm
Technique: Melted and pressed KN-95 Masks
Edition:  1.000 Bars (200 on sale)
Numbered and signed

Each bar is unique. Selection and shipment of the bars will be done randomly.

About the artwork: There is nothing new about a few getting rich off the suffering of the many. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increased need and shortage of corona protection equipment, especially respirators, in 2020. Ministries were therefore in need of supplies. Corrupted politicians from our governing CDU/CSU party collected payments in the millions through contract placements that were profitable for them but did not serve the public good. The result was that the federal government had to pay up to 10 euros per mask.

Thus, billions of euros were spent on low-quality masks that the health minister, who himself is also implicated in the corruption affair, finally wanted to distribute to the socially disadvantaged and people with disabilities, if the SPD -led Federal Ministry of Labor had not intervened. Now the masks are being stored under the name “National Reserve” for future crises. Germany’s gold reserves became masks, and masks became the new gold. Op- and KN-95 masks from China were used, which are fully functional but not allowed in Germany due to various policies. Due to the mispurchases, thousands of tons of these masks ended up in the garbage, where they are so urgently needed in other countries.

The installation “National Reserve” is located in the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art (MUCA) Munich.