How we understand art is a matter of perception. One person might look at these pictures below and immediately ask how much money did he spend to make each piece. A bigger question in my mind is when was the departure point to which Mark Wagner knew that he could cut up tangible US currency and turn it into something more powerful? Our brains are hard wired to operate on many levels and rationalize cognitive thought through the power of association. Check out this Wired article for more info about how the human brain functions.
These collage pictures are profound in the sense that it immediately grabs our attention due to the perceived value of money. When someone says that a Picasso is worth however many millions, we can sort of justify that rationale based upon him being referenced in most every history book written about modern art of the early to mid 20th century.
Mark Wagner does something truly unique in these collage pieces. He only uses printed US currency and each collage is based around the central relationship of influence and power. Strip away the medium used and they are just truly interesting portraits and narrative collages. Factor in the perceived value of US currency and these pictures are epitome of true art.
View the post below on This Is Colossal
"Brooklyn-based artist Mark Wagner (previously) has been referred to as “the greatest living collage artist” and even “the Michael Jordan of glue”. The artist has a wide variety of artistic pursuits from writing and artist bookmaking to drawing and assemblage, though he is probably best known for his intricately cut and assembled currency collages using the one dollar bill. From his artist statement:
These collage pictures are profound in the sense that it immediately grabs our attention due to the perceived value of money. When someone says that a Picasso is worth however many millions, we can sort of justify that rationale based upon him being referenced in most every history book written about modern art of the early to mid 20th century.
Mark Wagner does something truly unique in these collage pieces. He only uses printed US currency and each collage is based around the central relationship of influence and power. Strip away the medium used and they are just truly interesting portraits and narrative collages. Factor in the perceived value of US currency and these pictures are epitome of true art.
View the post below on This Is Colossal
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| Abraham Lincoln created out of $1 dollar bills |
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| Abraham Lincoln created out of $1 dollar bills - detail |
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| Tyrannosaurus Rex and George Washington, college from $1 dollar bills |
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| Tyrannosaurus Rex and George Washington, college from $1 dollar bills |
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| George Washington collage from $1 dollar bill |
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| Portraits of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney made from US currency |
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| George Washington and his clones sailing through the sea of bills |
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| George Washington and his clones sailing through the sea of bills - detail |
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| Collage story telling with US currency as the medium |
The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. Collage asks the question: what might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept. Blade and glue transform it-reproducing the effects of tapestries, paints, engravings, mosaics, and computers—striving for something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable… the foreign in the familiar."
