Blind Crowns

In his work for Transactions, artist Till Velten explores the changing notions of money and power. He talks with experts who reflect on how they handle power and its regalia. As a playful point of departure, he brings conversation pieces to the interviews: reproductions of crowns from the Abeler collection in Wuppertal. The replicas were fabricated by the Abeler jewelry workshop and formed the basis for the collection. Till Velten, who divides his time between Basel and Berlin, first encountered this impressive collection back in 1990 while assisting Vok Dams in photographing the replicas. He now presents them to the experts he interviews to elicit associative reflections on their professional situation but also on their visions of the future. Following the exhibition in Zurich, Till Velten will continue his investigations: Blind Crowns will be shown in the Liechtenstein National Museum in Vaduz along with the original princely crown (Fürstenhut), before moving to Tony Cragg’s Waldfrieden sculpture park in Wuppertal.