Where art is concerned, is the medium as important as the message? In his
2011 exhibition Noblesse Oblige, tattoo artist Scott Campbellexplores some
unconventional materials that call into question our perceptions of that
unique relationship. His series of carvings made of uncut U.S. currency
throw together unparalleled opulence (wasting money) and working-class
imagery.
Campbell’s history as a tattoo artist shows through in the images he carves
into huge stacks of American money. Relying heavily on skulls, skeletons,
butterflies and other pictures that would be at home in the pages of a
flash book in a tattoo studio, these unusual sculptures are truly a study
in differences.
The most-publicized piece of the show, a three-dimensional skull in a box,
is made up of more than $11,000 in stacked, uncut sheets of real currency. T
he money speaks of opulence and privilege, but the skull inside brings to
mind a far more down-to-earth mentality.
These pieces, with their tattoo art sensibilities and the over-the-top
abundance of their materials, present a strange type of experience for fine
art lovers. Much like the artists who paint with their own blood or box up
their own excrement, the medium changes the message.
Imagine the same pieces carved instead into plain white paper. They
would be considerably less striking, regardless of the obvious skill of their
creator. We are drawn to juxtapositions like these because, collectively,
we enjoy the visual surprises that come from fine art being rendered in
an unexpected medium.
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