Maria Anwander (b. 1980, Bregenz, Austria) is a conceptual artist who examines the structures of the contemporary art world, both its institutions and underlying hierarchies, as well as the mechanisms of visibility in attention economics. The Present was conceived during a residency at Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’Art Contemporain in 2012. As its title suggests, the work was surreptitiously gifted to Luxembourg City and placed on the Place d’Armes under the cover of night, hence defying the authorities in charge of public space while proclaiming itself a donation. Composed of a large block of stone laid on the ground and inscribed with its title, The Present short-circuits institutional decision-making models and highlights the issue of works of art in public spaces. Echoing the artist’s concerns around the passage of time, its state of preservation changes, as it is subject to the vagaries of the weather and the ageing of the material itself.