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Friday, May 28, 2010

10 Artworks Made of Money

See the masterpieces these artists created from currency

By Brynn Mannino

from WomansDay.com

We all know the image of the poor, starving artist, but the reality is, it can be costly to create art. Whether for supplies, workspace or even classes, most artists are constantly throwing money

into their passion—but there are a select few who do it literally. These creative minds take cold, hard cash and turn it into art. So read on for 10 masterpieces made of money.

“Money Dress” by Dave Cole

Made of 1,000 unused single dollar bills, which Cole cut into raw materials, this 66" x 30" x 14" dress was displayed in the 2007 Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting exhibit at New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design, which was devoted to “using fiber in unexpected and unorthodox ways.” Photo courtesy of Clayton Parker via Flickr.com.

“Money Boat” by Qinyi “Raymond” Yu

This 3’-long x 4’-tall boat—currently on display at Yu’s Mandarin Island Chinese Restaurant in Mission Hill, California—showcases traditional Chinese paper art. According to Bob Nienhuis’ website dedicated to Traditional Chinese Paper Arts, Yu used over 20,000 modular units to create the structure, which took approximately six months to complete. Photo courtesy of WestWorld.com.

“Absolute Power” by Justine Smith

The London-based artist built this 7.5" x 5" x 1.5" handgun sculpture out of U.S. dollar bills and plastic in 2005. She says her work “examines our relationship with money in a political, moral and social sense, while also taking advantage of the physical beauty of the notes.” Photo courtesy of Justine Smith.

“Washington” by Justine Smith

Smith, whose work is currently featured in the collections of the British Council and the UK Government Art Collection, created this 3.5" x 15" x 9" model of a dog in 2005 using multiple U.S. dollars along with resin and leather. Photo courtesy of Justine Smith.

“Obama vs. McCain” by Theodore Stanke

Brooklyn-based Stanke created this mosaic in the month leading up to 2008 presidential election. Created from adhesives and chopped-up American coins—Obama from pennies and nickels, McCain from quarters, dimes and dollars—the mosaic was intended to depict the distribution of wealth backing each candidate. The piece took 10 days to create and is currently for sale at Bunga’s Den in Manhattan. Photo courtesy of Ted Stanke.

“One Dollar Koi” by Won Park

Famed Japanese origami artist Won Park is known for using the U.S. dollar bill to create his detailed designs. Won even shares the secrets of his trade in a step-by-step video tutorial on his blog “Have Paper, Will Travel.” Photo courtesy of Won Park.

“One Dollar Camera” by Won Park

Park also created this tiny camera out of a “Won” dollar bill, as he refers to it, using the same unbroken folding technique showcased above. Photo courtesy of Won Park.

“Carpenter’s Tools” by Stacey Lee Webber

These three tools, constructed out of pre-1992 copper pennies, are part of Webber’s “The Craftsmen Series.” The artist hand-cut the pennies and soldered them together to create hollow, 3-D replicas of existing hand tools. She has said that they are synonymous with house construction and money is the reward for hours of labor and sweat. Photo courtesy of Stacey Lee Webber.

“Queen Elizabeth II” by Unknown

This paper portrait of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England displays “money-gami” at its best. Though a simple concept, constructing a leader out of his/her region’s currency produces impressive results. Photo courtesy of Close the World via Flickr.

“Paris Skyline” by Unknown

Each bill in this artist’s collection depicts a cut-out of a skyline or famous landmark, all instantly recognizable. In this example, we love the jutting Eiffel Tower beside the famous Arc de Triomphe. Photo courtesy of Spluch via Flickr.com.

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