Dough

Developing capitalism has brought about many a new thing. One of the novelties includes brand new perception of money. It is as if it had higher value all of a sudden, its power and magic in our wallets and on our bank accounts is increasing. While before, culture fought against political suppression, it now complains of lack of funds. The link between art and money has always been and still is here. We can, however, look at money or lack of it not only as something that holds us back. Money can also be an excellent subject and material for art. For a number of artists, money is not a subject of traumas and depression but rather a basis on which they make their art. It is a way how not to be controlled by money but rather to control it.
Transformation of avant-garde art into money, change of creative values into financial ones fascinated already surrealists. Yves Klein brought it to perfection at the break of the 50s while work of Andy Warhol will perhaps remain elementary for art of the 20th Century and its relationship to money. Money has always been a favorite subject of his paintings and graphics but his relationship to cashing on his own work and personality became inspiration for a number of his followers. Warhol’s approach is nice for his ability to perceive money also as nice pictures, small works of graphic art that are freely accessible to all.
Graphic form of money is undoubtedly fascinating and attracts imitating. Camerun artist Jean-Baptiste Ngnetchopa carves bank notes of various exotic countries out of wood, transforming them into large reliefs. Originally, he was engaged in traditional African sculpture and he became famous for realistic portraits of Mitterand, Mao Tsetung and local African big guns. His first 3D bank note was a dollar made in 1983 and since then Ngnetchopa delved into a deep well of world currencies. Czech artist David Černý dealt with money in a similar plastic way as he created a few silver levitating dollar bills for his installation at the Andy Warhol Museum in Medzilaborce, Slovakia. They are a sort of combination of Warhol’s favorite 2D theme and his legendary installation with flying aluminum balloons filled with light gas.
It is not, however, just the appearance of money that is so attractive to artists. The mysterious and incomprehensible exchange power of money has been known for centuries. Rich or poor, everybody knows money, we touch it, think of it every day. With its commonplace and metaphysical character, money makes up for an ideal object for conceptual art. A number of artists and socio-political groups are interested in the highly attractive fact of mass circulation of money. Tiny messages and symbols on money infiltrate all classes of society all across countries in a very natural manner. Back in the 1960s, homosexuals in the United States inscribed an inconspicuous message “queer money“ on their bank notes. They wanted to draw attention to their existence and, last but not least, their substantial economic and purchasing power. By stamping bank notes, Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles freely and effectively distributed questions concerning political oppression in his country.
Most governments in the world are very sensitive to imitating their currencies. Japanese artist Akasegawa Genpei personally experienced this sensitivity when he had his printer make copies of 1000 Yen bank notes in 1963. He used them as an invitation to his exhibition and a material for his other works and performances. The following year, he was prosecuted for forgery. The lawsuit turned into a philosophical dispute over the basis and relationship between forgery, imitation and a model. The artist once even turned the court house into a place of his performance during which he demonstrated how he was using money. Akasegawa Genpei’s defense was based on the fact that bank notes that he used for his art were mere models of money which were different from the real thing as they were bearing any financial value of currency but they did bear artistic value. After being convicted, he made a series of bank notes with the value of zero Yens printed on them by which he tried to demonstrate the absurdity of his trial.
Forgery became one of the favorite practices in the second half of the 20th Century. There were, however, predecessors. In a way, legendary Russian anarchist Makhna could be considered such an artists. After the October Revolution he reigned over part of Ukraine and printed his own money but their value was not based on anything. They were just printed pieces of papers with an inscribed value in which they were similar to money in the rest of Russia and Germany at that time. Instead of warning against forgery, Makhna encouraged everybody to print an unlimited number of this money, perfectly in agreement with the logic of revolution and anarchism. According to this logic, unlimited amount of money was supposed to bring near the collapse of monetary economy and the rise of Communism. Makhno was soon defeated by the Russian Army and executed.
Approach of American artist J. S. G. Boggs to money and imitating it, or forging if you will, is more than complex. He is fascinated not only by the appearance of it but also by definition of money and its function in society. At a certain point in his career he found out that he could reproduce bank notes by using a pen. He was however, using these drawings only as a starting point for his performances. For example, he comes to a restaurant and spends a lot of money. When asked to pay, he takes out almost completed drawing of a bank note and starts finishing it up. The personnel at the restaurant must notice his activity and usually start watching him. “I’m glad you like my work,“ Boggs responds, “because I intend to pay with this bank note.“ This is usually followed by quarrel which might or might not end in agreement. Boggs demands that he receives change for his bank notes of high face values. In a similar way, he pays in hotels and purchases inter-continental flights. Hen then exhibits the drawn bank notes and documentation of the performances in form of bills and change he got back.
Absurdity of money and monetary machinations is shown in works by well-known American wisecrack Joe Skaggs. He poured a sack of one-dollar bills at stock brokers from gallery at the New York Stock Exchange. He was pleased that the operations of the stock exchange came to a halt as the brokers left their businesses alone and started catching the bills. Skaggs’ performance caused not only court troubles for him but the gallery was separated from the main floor by a thick perspex.
We should not, however, reach a level at which (the privatization tycoon) Viktor Kožený could be considered the greatest contemporary Czech artist. The borderline between monetary and artistic speculation may be unclear but it certainly exists. The above examples of artistic approach to money should be a mere reminder that money does not need to be taken dead seriously. It is not the center of the world, we could take a playful and fresh stance to it.

01.07.1999