'Castello Cube' exhibited in Central Park, Manhattan, New York, USA on the 2nd (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A golden cube made of 186kg of pure gold has appeared in the middle of Central Park in Manhattan, New York, USA, attracting attention.
According to art media Artnet on the 2nd (local time), German contemporary artist Niklas Kastello (43) installed his new work 'Kastello Cube' in Central Park. This work is a cube made of gold with a hollow center, measuring 45 cm in width and height, and the thickness of the gold is about 0.64 cm.
It is reported that Kastello spent 11.7 million dollars (about 14 billion KRW) to purchase 186kg of 24-carat pure gold to create this work. He melted the pure gold he purchased at a foundry in Switzerland, and had to create a special kiln for this process. After that, Kastello melted the pure gold in a kiln at a temperature exceeding 1100 degrees Celsius and then solidified it again to complete the work, spending over 4,500 hours in this process.
Kastello stated that he created this work to commemorate the launch of his cryptocurrency named after himself, 'Kastello.' He introduced the Kastello Cube as "a work that can be appreciated from various perspectives" and "a work that started from the idea of wanting to create something intangible beyond the real world." He added, "In human history, such a large amount of gold has never existed as a single pure object," and explained, "Gold, symbolizing the sun, light, and lines, will be eternal."
The cube exhibited in Central Park that day was displayed again that night at the 'Cipriani Wall Street' event hall in Manhattan, New York, and its subsequent exhibition location is unknown. Artnet commented on Kastello's work as "encapsulating the intertwined relationship between capital and art." Additionally, Austrian gallerist Lisa Kandlerhofer interpreted, "The cultural ecosystem of the 21st century is based on cryptocurrency," and "(the Kastello Cube) is a kind of medium that connects and interacts with the ancient times when gold dominated the economy."
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