Currency #198 "I am happy and grateful" Artwork

This piece is from my "Exchange Currency Series," initiated by me in 2024, inspired by the concept of the "face" on coins. It's a unique work featuring a meticulously crafted portrait of an African woman on treated circular pine wood, using mixed media techniques. The inscription on it is written in Bambara, also known as Bamanankan, a language of the Manding family spoken mainly in Mali, West Africa. The phrase 'N'Balimaw yo ne ye n'teriw ye' could be translated into English as: "I am happy and grateful." These artworks are designed to function both individually and in multiple compositions, allowing for installations tailored to the space with as many artworks as desired. This series is about value and price. I propose to the public the acquisition of a currency as a transfer value only valid for future work of my authorship. This moving value, which has nothing to do with determining the value of the work itself (the currency itself), is decided, in addition to being completely arbitrary in nature, except for a reasoned valuation between the price of one currency and another. These currencies transfer the enhanced value of the artistic object for future work, deliberately leaving aside any symbolic overvaluation that derives from the creative work. However, each piece is a unique work elaborated with deliberate technical flaws, signed, and serves as a certification of original work. The norm is that the faces on currencies belong to kings, presidents of republics, or individuals who represent clear national identification. These currencies, by contrast, present a collection of anonymous profiles enveloped in disconcerting phrases that allude to the concept of a vast community of citizens who live in a state of 'not belonging,' characters who inhabit the depreciation that so often defines origins, laws, and inequality.

Mixed Media:Acrylic on Acrylic

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:10.2 W x 10.2 H x 0.7 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.