Pre-Money, 2011

Private Collection, Gland, Switzerland

Black Granite, Travertine, 59" x 9" x 67" / 150cm x 23cm x 170cm

I have given much thought regarding the value of Art. The art object is first a manifestation of the artist voice, a statement in form. It’s true cost is live itself - it takes time - both to realize and also to contemplate. A voice not heard is lost or has no value. Art is a power transaction - a form of currency, and like other currencies, its context is a significant component of its value.

Pre-Money depicts an enlarged human made cowry shell used as a precursor to coinage. It looks like a mask, and a mask signifies an objective witness. This is like a third-party witness to a value transaction.

So by referring to this specific object and re-making it as a large sculpture, it acknowledges the seminal event in human history: The abstract idea of money is one of the major inventions of the human race!