An important foundation of Studio Manila is to try to understand ways to bring abstract ideas to life. Finding ways to create visualizes of abstract ideas requires exploring the methods and means of the creation of visual art. In this case, the focus is on how to create paintings on a canvas of money while also incorporating money as part of the art. The piece includes a rough origami: folder paper money used to represent the links of a chain. This is a way of trying to create a visual of the idea of “blockchain” as an experimental piece.
The use of money in art creates an opportunity to develop layers of abstraction. The utility of money as a store of value can be transformed into a store of art. The placement of paint on a canvas creates a means of “storing” the ideas of an artist, capturing their ideas, storing them to be shared at a later time. The exchange of the artist’s idea for the viewers time creates the artistic value of the painting.
The use of paper money to store ideas creates interesting opportunities. For example, since money is not sized to create large pieces of art, it must be attached to a surface. The process of attaching the money creates a unique surface for the artist. This challenges the artist to incorporate the unique surface into the artwork itself. Also, the absorption of pigments and the art already on the money creates additional challenges.
