Motherlode — Lena Kalleitner

motherlode, 2023

video installation

Motherlode alludes to a well-known method of amassing wealth in the video game “The Sims”, where players can effortlessly acquire limitless funds by entering the cheat code "motherlode." This term has also evolved colloquially to refer to the real or imaginary origin of something valuable or available in large quantities. The artwork critically examines the ease with which affluent entrepreneurs secure monetary resources, often through ambiguous trading practices.

While countless former employees of the Galeria department store chain were left to navigate their fates, Rene Benko's superyacht, “Roma”, continues to cruise the Adriatic Sea.

Purchase price: 45 million dollars
Annual operating costs: 5 million dollars

In motherlode the viewer traces the course of Benko's yacht from June to September 2022. The narrative includes detailed coordinates and calculates fuel consumption, revealing the staggering financial implications of such opulence.