Fresh
Air Sells for $860 a Jar in China
Beijing artist Liang Kegang
auctioned off a jar of fresh French air as a form of protest against Chinese
air pollution
Beijing artist Liang Kegang is pictured with the jar of fresh air collected
in Provence, France, in an art gallery in Beijing, China. Didi Tang—AP
A Beijing artist has decided to auction off a jar of
fresh air from a business trip to southern France, as a form of artistic
protest against his smoggy city.
The rubber-sealed jar of Provence, mountain air went for 5,250 yuan (or
$860), the Associated Press reports.
“Air should be the most valueless commodity, free to breathe for any
vagrant or beggar,” Liang Kegang told the AP. “This is my way to question
China’s foul air and express my dissatisfaction.”
Chinese scientists recently said the air pollution is so bad that it’s “somewhat similar to a nuclear
winter.”
Artistic message aside, Liang’s air isn’t a bargain: Recycling tycoon Chen
Guangbiang sells “Good Person”-branded fresh air in a can to Chinese consumers
for $3 a pop.
