‘No Longer Art’ exhibition re-examines the worth of damaged works

If a work of art is more than the sum of its parts, what happens when one or more of those parts is damaged? You’d think the meaning and artist’s intention would remain as valid as ever, but that doesn’t stop art insurance companies writing off imperfect works with “total loss” status, stripping them of their value. Polish artist Elka Krajewska’s Salvage Art Institute is putting on an exhibition at Columbia University that seeks to reassess some of these works and challenge our views on what makes art truly valuable. Krajewska came into possession of a large inventory of art that had been designated as worthless by insurance company AXA, and the No Longer Art show has been curated from these. It’s running at the Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery’s Buell Hall until December 20th.