"But as soon as it enters the scene as merchandise, it is transmuted into something sensorial supersensible.," translation from the text in Spanish.
Jippies Asquerosos (Filthy Hippies) is the alter ego and fictitious artistic collective founded by Willy Kautz, a Brazilian Mexican curator, artist, and musician from São Paulo. The Quid Pro Quo series investigates the relationship between aesthetics, mysticism, and the economy of art, drawing from Mathias Goeritz’s (1915-1990) Mensajes series for inspiration. Goeritz’s concept of “emotional architecture” highlights the ability of space and objects to elicit emotional responses from those who interact with them. In the Mensajes, he punctures gold leaf and brass with various patterns to manufacture the feeling of spiritual reverence. Kautz takes this project further by etching Karl Marx's message in the text.