Money, Money, Money

It’s no secret that Chinese modern art is rapidly becoming a hot commodity – a recent example includes the sale of Liu Xiaodong’s 3 x 10m “Three Gorges New Immigrants” for RMB 22 million. It’s also no secret that Beijing’s 798 Dashanzi art district is quickly morphing into little more than an art supermarket – a place to buy and sell art that has been made for the sole purpose of making a buck. However, one artist is attempting to turn the cash nexus on its head and instead of creating art that makes money has decided to make art with money.

Liang Kegang’s (梁克刚) latest work is a 1.14m x 1.8m collage of RMB 1,000,000 worth of genuine banknotes. Titled One Million《一百万》, the 10, 000 hundred kuai banknotes that constitute the piece are divided into 100 wads. The unexpected heaviness of the notes has created problems for gallery staff when they attempt to hang the work. The artist has said that he is willing to sell the work for between RMB 1.2 and 1.3 million.

The work bears similarities to British artist Damien Hirst’s (yes – the same guy who pickled a shark) work For the Love of God, a platinum life-sized human skull encrusted with 8, 601 fine diamonds.

For those who want to take a look at One Million, it’s currently being displayed at:
TS1 GALLERY
Factory 4412, Area B (behind the Nike Space), Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 1588, 131 2149 9725) www.ts1.com.cn
壹空间画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号 大山子798艺术区B区原4412厂（耐克展厅背后）

Links and Sources:
China Daily: Artwork One-Million-RMB Arouses Controversy
China News: 一百万现金挂墙上当创意艺术作品 (image)
Xinhua: China World Record Auction
Guardian: Hirst's skull makes dazzling debut
CCTV: 画廊将百万现金挂墙上展出 称要让观众直面金钱
Sina Blog: 广顺园主--寻芳不觉醉流霞 (image)