For those not familiar with the Vandenberg shipwreck off of Key West, it is (was?) a 522 foot long military vessel that is a popular destination for scuba divers of all skill levels.  It was sunk in 2009 as an artificial reef.  It remains to this day the largest in and around Key West – major part of our oceanic ecosystem.

Andreas Franke, an Austrian artist, feels it’s a great spot to display his artwork.

I’m not going to pull any punches here:  It’s a stupid move.  It’s a gimmick, and there’s no reason it should be installed underwater, except for the fact that the images are tied to the ship.  Allegedly, the images are his composites – a mixed media if you will – feature his photo-manipulations of photographs he took of the Vandenberg during an earlier dive (Franke is a diver himself).  His works now feature humans inserted into the otherwise creepy photos – very surreal to say the least.  From what I’ve seen, they are interesting and compelling photo-manipulations.  And I would love to see them in person myself.  Just not on a shipwreck.

Especially not on a shipwreck that was intended as an artificial reef for the benefit of an ecosystem.

Legally, he didn’t do anything wrong.  A temporary installation – as this exhibit will be – does not require any special permitting and it is permitted by right.  And I suspect the presence of the artwork will not have any ill effects on the artificial reef or its residents.  However, that doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole for doing it.  It’s about respect.  Not respect for the ship.  It’s not respect for the divers (which I’m sure has divided thoughts over the installation).  It’s respect for the ecosystem.  We’ve created this thing for the lifeforms that are essential to the oceanic community.  Divers are of course permitted to visit as guests.  And I know most divers are respectful of any dive location – be it a reef (natural or otherwise) or a shipwreck.  They dive to see, not to destroy, deface, or display artwork (which could be seen as the same thing).

In short, the artwork belongs in a legitimate gallery.  Not on a submerged ship.  Even though this is temporary, I feel that this is defacing the ship – the reef.  It’s a stunt set to garner attention, which is sad as his artwork deserves enough clout as it stands.  But if anything, this arrogant stunt has turned me off to Andreas Franke’s works.