"Barrier Tape Plate Without Barriert Tape" (BTPWBT)  is the last artwork from the oeuvre of "Barrier Tape Art" by Sebastian Bieniek (B1EN1EK), the Berlin based artist who invented in 2020 the "Barrier Tape Art". It's also part of the "Barrier Tape Plate" series.

It is became the most expensive artwork ever sold by a living artist.

It was sold in june 2020 for 175 million Euro to a Russian collector.

On the 13th of june 2020 the Berlin based artist Sebastian Bieniek (B1EN1EK) shocked the art world.

The inventor of Barrier Tape Art informed about the sale of the most expensive artwork by a living artist ever.

A simple white plate called BTPWBT („Barrier Tape Plate Without Barrier Tape“) was sold to a Russian art collector for 175 million €. (175.000.000,00 €).

This is the highes amount an artwork by a living artist ever achieved.

The facebook post which informed about the sale, raised to a global scandal that caused a controversial discussion and a shitstorm like never seen before in the whole history of art.

The concept of BTPWBT bases on the very - may be most - archaic concept of exodus, which bases on the biblical story of Expulsion from Paradise, which again is nothing else than the drama of becoming adult, the lost of youth, and the inevitability of the final death.

This concept of lost is the by far most dominating and universal topic through all history of culture. It’s the metaphor for desire and for the fear of death. It is the main theme of the oldest known book of mankind, the Epic of Gilgamesh and also for the most famous work of Homer, the Iliad. We can also see subject of it in the real live story of Alexander the Great, which seems to be for many the historically most constant hero of the western civilization.

The lost is the death and the death itself means especially in the western culture a transformation. A metamorphosis into a completely new and unknown status of being. If you want so, the lost is the creation of new. By losing everything what defines the definition is changing.

The artist Sebastian Bieniek (B1EN1EK) created in april 2020 (as he said) inspired on the corona-pandemic the „Barrier Tape Art“ - if it really was inspired by covid-19, we don’t know. What we know is that from the 14th of april 2020, he created every day a new artwork building up with the theme of red-white barrier-tape more and more, more and more valuable artwork, to destroy this Tower of Babel in a single moment by replacing it with nothing.

In opposite to the concept a ready-made he didn’t focused on what is, but on what isn’t, the lost if you want so. Everything he made from the 14th of april was on the 12th of june a lot and the very next day nothing.

To make this clear many single steps and small transformations were necessary, the last one was the „Barrier Tape Plate“ with Barrier Tape.

If there wouldn’t be a „Barrier Tape Plate“ with Barrier Tape on the 12th of june 2020 a „Barrier Tape Plate Without Barrier Tape“ (BTPWBT)  wouldn’t be on the 13th of june thinkable.

„Barrier Tape Plate Without Barrier Tape“ (BTPWBT) by Sebastian Bieniek (B1EN1EK), the inventor of „Barrier Tape Art“. Created in june 2020. Size: 31,5 cm. It’s the most expensive artwork by a living artist. Sold in june 2020 for 175 million Euro to a Russian art collector..