http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/2492/james-franco-sells-the-idea-of-art

Actor-turned-musician-turned-artist James Franco has managed to find a way of making money for selling absolutely nothing, or as he likes to call it – “the idea of art”.

Franco teamed up with the artist duo Praxis to begin a Kickstarter project entitled MONA, which stands for the Museum of Non-Visible Art. According to the project’s blurb, the Non-Visible Museum “is an extravaganza of imagination, a museum that reminds us that we live in two worlds: the physical world of sight and the non-visible world of thought. Composed entirely of ideas, the Non-Visible Museum redefines the concept of what is real. Although the artworks themselves are not visible, the descriptions open our eyes to a parallel world built of images and words. This world is not visible, but it is real, perhaps more real, in many ways, than the world of matter, and it is also for sale.”

So far the project has smashed its $5,000 goal with a total of $13,648 from 99 backers, and there are still 36 days to go! The majority of the backers have chosen to pay “$25 or more”, for which they receive an imagined short film by James Franco, based on William Faulkner’s short story Red Leaves. One backer did feel like splashing out however, and blew $10,000 on an entirely unique piece – “The air you are purchasing is like buying an endless tank of oxygen. No matter where you are, you always have the ability to take a breath of the most delicious, clean-smelling air that the earth can produce. Every breath you take gives you endless peace and health. This artwork is something to carry with you if you own it. Because wherever you are, you can imagine yourself getting the most beautiful taste of air that is from the mountain tops or fields or from the ocean side; it is an endless supply.”