Quantitative Melencolia reactivates Albrecht Dürer’s iconic 1514 engraving Melencolia I through the lens of finance, reproduction, and artistic authorship. The project engages with the material and conceptual conditions of printmaking, linking historical techniques to contemporary mechanisms of economic speculation.

At the core of the installation is a newly crafted copper engraving plate, meticulously reproduced from an original Melencolia I print in the Whitworth Gallery’s collection. This plate, presented alongside six prints on authentic 16th-century paper, is both a homage to Dürer’s mastery and a conceptual device for exploring how value is created, multiplied and circulated over time.

Observing that museum collections function as dormant financial assets—acquired artworks are removed from financial circulation—the artists introduce an alternative logic inspired by quantitative easing, a policy central banks implemented after the 2007-08 financial crisis to stimulate economic movement. Quantitative Melencolia transforms its owner into an active participant in the art market by allowing the liquidation of its assets, generating new market dynamics.

Photos by Michael Pollard.