the fake prada store, entitled prada marfa by berlin artists michael elmgreen and ingar dragset is located on desolate land with no other visible trace of civilization. at first glance, it looks to be a luxury boutique with a display of fall 2005 prada shoes and bags. yet, one cannot open the door – it’s a new permanent public sculpture – ‘branding as art’. the $100,000 prada marfa is located in in texas (usa) 26 miles northwest of marfa on highway 90 and was inaugurated on october 1st, 2005. it was promptly vandalized less than two days later. the words ‘dumb’ and ‘dumdum’ were spray-painted on two of its outside walls, and six purses and fourteen right-foot shoes were stolen. done by a jealous artist, perhaps. or an inside job committed by the artists themselves? we don’t think so, because to many, it seemed insensitive to put the installation so close to presidio county, where unemployment only recently approached 30 percent…