Mark Wagner
It seems especially appropriate to share the work of Mark Wagner today of all days, mid-term Election Day here in the United States. Wagner uses deconstructed US dollars to create intricately designed collages that open up a dialogue about the nature of money, man’s obsession with wealth, and our attempts to harness finances through economics.
Wagner destroys thousands of bills yearly to create works which pointedly and playfully explore the intersection of wealth, power, value, and American identity. Wagner’s audacious (and unlawful) destruction of this revered icon of American commerce is checked only by his virtuoso material manipulation, which renders what you will… portraits, plant life, fantastical beasts, or allegorical scenes recasting George Washington in every roll.
