ARNE QUINZE (Belgium, 1971). "Bidonville Tower 8-10-2012". Mixed media (wood, polyurethane, paint and marker). Unique piece . Signed on the base. Attached certificate signed by the artist. Measurements: 85 x 20 x 20 cm. For the realization of this work, Quinze was inspired by the constructions of the favelas of Brazil. The artist's website states that "Bidonvilles delves into the study of habitability in the current context. Different skyscrapers and dwellings embody diverse forms and shapes, but remain inherent to the same architectural context. Bidonvilles are archetypal houses as a parody of today's way of life. Cities develop with inexhaustible fervor. Without thought or a vision of sustainability, houses are quickly built next to each other; the functionality of buildings, streets and parks in total in urban environments is not fully taken into account. Bidonvilles intentionally reassure or accelerate this process and provoke open communication in a society of human interaction. Linking diverse societies in this way is consistent with Quinze's belief that all individuals are equal. Cultural and monetary differences among people do not alter this equality or diminish our basic equality. Quinze's buildings are both shantytowns and industrialized skyscrapers. Different cultures are represented by different lines and rhythms, yet they are unified within the same structure, reflecting our daily lives around and with each other. All of his Bidonville towers seem to incorporate the same form and similar construction, but, upon closer inspection, they are marked with different details depending on the culture, continent or city in which they are built." Quinze has made striking installations, which he conceives of as substitutes for the old marketplaces, such as Red Beacon (2010), which is located in the Jing'an Sculpture Park. Other of his works focus on the axiom that people tend to seek a safe environment, a womb that eliminates the unexpected. He realized the virtual installation Rock Strangers (2011) at the Statue of Liberty in New York on July 4 in collaboration with Beck's for his Green Box Project. In the context of Mons 2015 European Capital of Culture, he built a wooden installation called The Passenger. In 2009, Quinze installed a "Stilthouse" called The Visitor in Beirut, Lebanon, near his newly developed Souk complex, and the auction house Phillips de Pury & Company invited the artist to present his work in their London gallery. Due to its success in early 2010, the exhibition was extended at the Saatchi Gallery in London, at the Duke of York's Seat on the King's Road. During the Hamburg Art Week (2011) he presented new works showing a change in the use of materials, including shattered old porcelain symbolizing the destruction of our family traditions. In June 2014, Quinze created a unique artwork in collaboration with Veridor: 45 kg of precious metals transformed into a "natural chaos". This work of art was made primarily of 18-karat rose gold and 18-karat palladium white gold in rod and tube form, as well as gold wire and leaf. The piece, called Natural Chaos. Golden Edition No. 1 is on sale for €1.8 million on the online luxury marketplace JamesEdition.