100 gramos de oro puro

Gold is extraterrestrial. It comes from the vast cosmic explosion of a star (a supernova) whose material, cast into space, eventually fused to form the planet we inhabit. Among the various elements was gold, which is scattered throughout the Earth.

Gold is an illusion. We have turned a metal into the basis of a financial system, and the same financial system into the basis of an entire way of life: capitalism. Nothing symbolizes the accumulation of capital, the god that guides us, better than gold.

Which shape does gold take in the collective imagination? A jewel, a chest full of coins, a stack of ingots kept in an inaccessible and dark place.

“While busy melting, rolling, soldering, filing, and polishing, goldsmiths do not dwell on these issues. Yet, when receiving gold in its pure state, we do feel through our fingertips – as we hold a saw, a file, or a blowtorch – its honesty, its unmatched density, its malleability, and its noble, deeply gratifying response to fire: the true nature of the king of metals.” Teresa Estapé

 “100 gramos de oro puro” is an edition of 30 digital prints with hand-finished details on 308 gsm Hahnemühle paper. Each piece includes a unique varnish intervention and handwritten text. They have been printed at Tinta Invisible, a printmaking workshop in Barcelona.

The central image features a high-resolution scan of 100 grams of Fairmined pure gold, freshly delivered from the supplier to Teresa Estapé’s atelier. Its unique shape originates from a primary ingot that has been rolled into a 0.7 mm sheet, allowing it to be cut and distributed to goldsmiths for subsequent alloying and use.

Dimensions: 76.6 × 50 cm.

Price for unframed piece.