Currency #196 "Lo siento, no soy de aquí" Painting

This piece is one of the most news artworks of the "Exchange Currency Series" created in 2024, starting from the concept of the "face" on coins. It is a unique work consisting of a meticulously crafted latin man portrait executed on a treated circular pine wood cut, created using mixed media techniques. Conceptually, the artwork is part of a project in which, drawing from my own experience, I explore the theme of foreignness and the sense of 'not being from here.' Furthermore, it connects with the experiences of others who have undergone the challenges of migration. These artworks are designed to function both individually and in multiple compositions, allowing for installations tailored to the space with as many artworks as desired. This series is about value and price. I propose to the public the acquisition of a currency as a transfer value only valid for future work of my authorship. This moving value, which has nothing to do with determining the value of the work itself (the currency itself), is decided, in addition to being completely arbitrary in nature, except for a reasoned valuation between the price of one currency and another. These currencies transfer the enhanced value of the artistic object for future work, deliberately leaving aside any symbolic overvaluation that derives from the creative work. However, each piece is a unique work elaborated with deliberate technical flaws, signed, and serves as a certification of original work. The norm is that the faces on currencies belong to kings, presidents of republics, or individuals who represent clear national identification. These currencies, by contrast, present a collection of anonymous profiles enveloped in disconcerting phrases that allude to the concept of a vast community of citizens who live in a state of 'not belonging,' characters who inhabit the depreciation that so often defines origins, laws, and inequality.