Autolykos Collection
In line with the growing awareness of cultural heritage and appropriation, the looting and offering for sale of archaeological artefacts online is an increasingly common – and listed – crime. Trading in the traces of our ancestors for personal gain contributes to the destruction of material culture and history and makes public access to the artefacts impossible. The research project ‘Autolykos Collection’ focuses on illegally excavated antiquities from the Middle East and North Africa, which are sold through private groups on Facebook.
Walter Costa uses photography to reveal the illegal supply chain, which generates income for armed groups in the region. He displays photographs of objects placed for sale and, through 3D modelling and printing, creates an image database of missing artefacts.
Becoming invisible and hiding the loot has always been every criminal’s ultimate fantasy. But matching Autolycus – ‘the king of thieves’ in Greek mythology – has never been an easy task. With the rise of social media, these criminals are now just a click away from being exposed.
