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Art Critic Accidentally Destroys £15,000 Installation With One Drinks Can

Art Critic Accidentally Destroys £15,000 Installation With One Drinks Can

Giving new meaning to the ‘hold my drink’ meme

EMS 7

EMS 7

Giving new meaning to the 'hold my drink' meme, an art critic has come under fire after she accidentally destroyed an expensive installation with nothing but a drinks can.

Avelina Lésper was attending the Zona Maco art fair in Mexico City over the weekend (February 8) when she came across a piece by contemporary artist Gabriel Rico.

The centrepiece of the fair comprised a sheet of glass with a stone, a football and a number of other objects suspended inside.

Instagram / Galería OMR

It was reportedly quite the spectacle - that is until Avelina came along.

Although the incident is up for dispute, Artnet News reports that it is believed the critic expressed disdain for the piece by placing the can on one of the stone elements to take a picture as a critique.

However, like a furious IRL game of Mouse Trap, the installation buckled under the pressure and shattered all over the floor. Whoops!

To make matters worse, she was soon informed that the piece was valued at $20,000 (over £15,000) and the gallery was quick to describe her attitude as being 'unprofessional'.

In a statement on Instagram alongside an image of the aftermath, Galería OMR wrote: "We are very sad and disappointed by what happened today.

"We don't understand how an alleged professional art critic destroyed a work...

"Lésper coming too close to the work to place a soda can on it and take a picture as criticism without a doubt caused the destruction."

The statement went on to describe the critic's actions as showing an 'enormous lack of professionalism and respect'.

Avelina has since defended her actions, saying in a video for Mexican media group Milenio: "I had an empty can of soda, I tried to put it on one of the stones, but the work exploded.

"It was like the work heard my comment and felt what I thought of it. The work shattered into pieces and collapsed and fell on the floor."

Instagram / Galería OMR

She also reportedly suggested that the gallery leave the piece shattered as part of a performance piece before offering to pay the damages after they rejected her idea.

It's yet to be seen whether she'll be coughing up the big bucks for the mishap, although it's safe to say that the artist himself is pretty disappointed.

"I am sad because this was very disrespectful for the pieces," said Gabriel Rico in a statement. "This is a regrettable situation."

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Topics: Instagram, Art, Fail, Mexico