Press Release May 2008

May 6th 2008, Copenhagen, Denmark


Kristian von Hornsleth sells arms stocks as pieces of art

Begging children with amputated legs, combusted women without hands or feet, young brainwashed men with Kalashnikovs in their hands – this will be on your conscience if you buy a piece of art from Kristian von Hornsleths newest exhibition: ”Per ruinam ad Humanitatem – The Hornsleth Arms Invest Corp.”
 

Starting from 30.000 Danish Krones or € 4.000. That is the price for a stock, which can make you part owner of the newly founded company ‘Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation’, which speculates in cluster bombs, nuclear weapons, mines, sub marines, missiles, private armies, spy airplanes and other lethal hardware. The CEO of this company is the artist Kristian von Hornsleth, who to start out with will put 100 stocks for sale – as pieces of art – and will focus on one of the free markets huge morale dilemmas.  

 

CSR-project with a twist

Over one year has past since Kristian von Hornsleth created huge debate by offering 300 villagers in Uganda to change their name to Hornsleth in exchange for a goat or a pig. The art project named ”We want to help you – but we want to own you” made headlines all over the world and cemented Kristian von Hornsleth as one of Denmarks most infamous artists. Now he is back. This time around he’s closer to the west. On May 16th Hornsleth will exhibit the project, ”The Hornsleth Arms Invest Corporation” in Gallery Poulsen – a sort of CSR-project with a twist, which once again will challenge the perception of art and reality.   

”The world of stocks has always fascinated me. Art is actually – like stocks – valued items, which will rise and fall based on psychological factors. Stocks and art are both reflect reality, but at the same time have independent lives of their own. That’s why I for a long wanted to make a project, which represents the equal values between the world of stocks and the world of art”, Kristian von Hornsleth says.

 

One piece of art – one voice

Kristian von Hornsleth has produced 100 art stocks, in various sizes 40x 60cm to 200 x 300 cm. Each one of the ten works is legally a valid stock and makes the owner of the stock a shareholder in Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation with the right to receive proceeds and one vote at the annual general assembly. Furthermore the owner will have access to a special homepage, which on a regular basis will update the shareholder with information about how the stocks are doing and information about the weapons and arms companies, which the owner is a member of. 

Money from weapons is earmarked for relief organizations

But not all the earnings will go to the buyers of the art. A significant part of proceeds is earmarked for a special fund. The Fund will every year support relief organizations and private persons, who apply for the money.

”If John McCain is elected President and the wars in the Middle East continue the fund will have a considerable amount of money. So people can just start applying right now” Kristian von Hornsleth says.   

Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation plans to build up a stock portfolio around foreign weapons producers, but also plans to invest in some Danish companies such as GPV, which produce war materials. With time more Danish and Scandinavian companies can join in as long as they live up to expectations in Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporations. 

”The Hornsleth Arms Investment Project - per ruinam ad humanitatem” is on constant display at the Hornsleth Foundation Copenhagen, exhibited in Hamburg in March 2009 at Gallery BN24 and other places which will announced on hornsleth.com



Contact info

www.hornsleth.com

 

 

The title of the project is: ”The Hornsleth Arms Investment Project - per ruinam ad humanitatem.” (Translation: Through destruction to humanity)


Artist

Kristian von Hornsleth
 

About the project

Kristian von Hornsleth will put out 100 B-stocks as pieces of art. Each piece varies from 40 x 60 cm to 200 x 300 cm and uniquely painted and signed. As a buyer one becomes share holder in the company, ”Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation”. Kristian von Hornsleth is CEO of Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation and owns one A-stock with the right to control the company.

Price per stock

3.000 - 30.000 EURO, depending of physical size.


Ownership

The amount of 1.700€  from each sale of stockpaintings, disregarding size, is placed directly into the investment account of HAIC. This means that each HAIC shareholder represents 1% ownership of the company, no matter which dimension a painted share has.


Purpose

The purpose of the company is

1) investment in the production of and other war related industry, including arming private armies through stock listed companies in the weapons industry.

2) To gain profit through investments and other related actions

Companies in which Hornsleth Arms Investment Corporation have bought  in to:

Lockheed Martin (Cluster bombs, F-22 Raptor, F-117 Nighthawk, huge missile programme)

General Dynamics (Produces key components for cluster bombs)
Singapore Technologies (Land mines)

Northrop Grumman (F-35 Lightning, B-2 Spirit bombe airplane, Global Hawk, defence satellites)

Raytheon (Patriot Missile System, Javelin Weapon System, Sidewinder missiles)

Ionatron (Development of electroshock laser induced plasma weapons)

Raytheon Co. (Produces diverse types of cluster bombs)

General Dynamics (Tanks, Virginia Class and Seawolf Class U-BOATS and more)

DynCorp (Military contractor, "mercenary services")

BAE Systems (Eurofighter, Harrier, Tornado Aircraft Carriers, Nuclear submarines) 

Vosper Thornycroft (“Marine systems” – and other defence systems) 

EADS (Combat aircraft + owns 37, 5 % of the European missile syndicate MBDA)

Kellog Brown & Root (Subsidiary to Haliburton, military services provider)

 

See also the following list of arms companies in Denmark:
http://www.folketinget.dk/Samling/20031/spor_sv/S1574.htm