2024-04-27 04:34:47
The work of art, which consists of thousands of valid Czech banknotes worth 878,600 crowns and plastic bags, is newly exhibited by the street art artist Epos 257 directly at the Czech National Bank. In 2018, he auctioned the unusual work under the name 3080 transactions for 1.34 million crowns, which changed its name to 3081 transactions.
Epos 257, which is the pseudonym of a graduate of the University of Applied Arts originally from the Prague graffiti scene, wanted to explore his artistic value in this way. At the same time, he points out the role of money in art, or rather its influence regarding the position of the artist in society, as well as the world of investment and speculation, of which the art market is a part.
The work was newly included in the exhibition called People and Money, which can be seen from this Tuesday in the former vault of the historic building of the Czech National Bank. It will last until May 26. The plastic bag was lent by its current owner.
Epos’ bag with 878,600 crowns is an unusual piece. In 2017, the artist collected the amount from visitors to his exhibition in Prague’s Veletržní palác. Although admission was free, people paradoxically needed money.
For a banknote of any nominal value, they received back from the operator a banknote of the same nominal value, only brand new, taken directly from the Czech National Bank. There was thus a transaction in which no one got rich, only in this illustrative “money laundering” the used banknote was exchanged for a clean one. The aim was to make the circulation of money in the economy more visible. Those interested most often exchanged one hundred crowns. But there are also five thousand coins in the package, Aktuálně.cz wrote.
After the end of the exhibition, Epos 257 counted the value of the banknotes and came to the figure of 878,600 crowns. That’s exactly how much the plastic bag contains, which he subsequently auctioned off at an auction in Prague’s Municipal House for 1.34 million crowns. Gallerist Zdeněk Sklenář bought the bag for this amount.
Plastic bag full of money from Epos 257. | Photo: CTK
“With the unusual intention of ‘selling money’, Epos 257 wanted, among other things, to find out what ‘added value’ its intangible artistic intention has,” explains project spokesperson Světlana Pospíšilová. After deducting auction fees, Epos’s author’s contribution can be calculated at almost a quarter of a million.
Epos 257, who, like the British Banksy, strictly guards his identity, belongs to the most famous street art authors in the Czech Republic.
It interferes with public space for a long time. The numeral in his pseudonym Epos 257 refers to the section that punishes damage to another’s property. The author most often commits this crime on billboards, which he color-edits with paintball guns. For example, he likes to “paint” on unrented surfaces covered with white paper, which remind him of canvases, sometimes he intervenes directly in advertisements. It is his way of fighting against the commercialization of public space.
Among his most famous stunts were when he set up bales of hay around Prague or sold cut-outs from pre-election billboards. The new owner paid two million crowns for the author’s framed portraits of Miloš Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg. At one time, the artist also carried out an illegal takeover of the space on Palackého náměstí. He fenced off an area of 50 square meters with a few friends. No one found it strange for a long time. The local town hall had the encroachment removed only after more than fifty days.
In 2010, Epos 257 represented the Czech Republic at the Expo in Shanghai. His work has long been influenced by his interest in graphic design and architecture. He had his last major exhibition three years ago at the Dox Contemporary Art Center in Prague.
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