David LaChapelle
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"Negative Currency: 5 Yuan Used as Negative, New York", 2010.
Signed David LaChapelle on label verso. Edition 3/5. Chromogenic print mounted to acrylic glass, 76 x 155 cm.
Provenance
Fred Torres Collaborations, New York.
More information
As the title suggests, the series "Negative Currency" is the result of LaChapelle's experimentation with international banknotes as negatives. In revised colours, both sides of the banknotes are displayed, one negative and one positive, in the final photograph. While LaChapelle's mentor Andy Warhol's prototypical work "Dollar Bill" from 1962 explores the conceptual distinction between art and commerce, LaChapelle's "Negative Currency" illustrates the dual effects that money has on our society, both positive and negative. The simplicity in the realisation of the idea results in a crystal-clear concept.
The simultaneous representation of both sides of the banknote in the photograph reminds one of the image that appears when traders examine banknotes against the light to verify their authenticity, by looking for watermarks and similar details. This visual reference becomes a reflection on the commercialisation of art. Similar to Warhol's work, this subtle critique is delivered with a dose of irony as LaChapelle himself is highly entrepreneurial in the criticised market.