Brazilian art student swaps Civil War coin at British Museum in colonial artefacts protest

Ile Sartuzi says his work sparks a discussion about ‘theft and looting both from a neocolonial perspective’

A Brazilian artist swapped an English civil war coin with a fake one at the British Museum last month as part of a conceptual art project.

The incident took place less than a year after the museum announced that hundreds of items had gone missing from its collection.

Ile Sartuzi filmed the stunt for his master’s degree at Goldsmiths, University of London. His project, “Sleight of Hand”, involved over a year of preparation, seeking legal advice, studying architectural plans and making many visits to the museum.

Mr Sartuzi’s project was exhibited in the Ben Pimlott Building at Goldsmith’s until 16 July. It featured a video installation, a display with two fake coins, and a piece of text documenting the theft and return of the original coin.

The artist took a 1645 silver coin minted in Newark from its display case in Room 68 of the British Museum during a demonstration led by a volunteer guide on 18 June. He replaced it with a replica and took the original coin downstairs, depositing it in a designated change donation box.

The museum condemned the act and, according to the Guardian, said it would be informing police of the incident. “This is a disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to handle real items and engage with history,” a museum spokesperson said.

“Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust and it would be a shame to have to review the provision of these services due to actions like this.”

The coin was part of a collection designated for educational purposes, including interactive sessions with visitors.

The artist and his lawyer argue that his actions do not violate museum policies prohibiting the handling or removal of objects, nor do they fall under the Theft Act of 1968.

Mr Sartuzi defended his actions by criticising the imperialist history of institutions like the British Museum, which he claims holds treasures looted from the global south.

He told Hyperallergic that he believes the work “opens a discussion around theft and looting in both a historical context and from a neocolonial perspective within contemporary cultural institutions”.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Sartuzi for comment.