Silver Standard Broken Tulips

"This photograph belongs to the series, ""Absolute Powers / ex nihilo."" These photographs dive deeper into the taboo and controversial topic of money by showcasing an array of intriguing real-world historic and contemporary objects (some worthless, others immensely valuable), while examining how societies perceive, express, and destroy value.

What you see before you are gorgeous descendants of the original broken tulip cultivars from the infamous Dutch Tulipomania. Tulips were introduced into Europe from Turkey in the mid-1500’s. ""Broken"" tulips are infected with a benign virus called TBV, or the Tulip Breaking Virus, causing spectacularly unique and unpredictable separation of colors. These rare bulbs rapidly became collectible luxury items in Dutch society in the 17th century. Mania-fueled demand led to exorbitant price levels, ultimately creating a highly speculative trading market, which peaked and crashed dramatically circa 1637. People of all economic classes lost exorbitant sums of money—Imagine losing your entire net worth from one flower bulb! This craze is known as Tulipomania and is considered to be a paradigm for one of the first economic “bubbles.”

Christos is a 1st-gen Greek-American fine-artist whose photographs probe themes of socioeconomics, culture, history, and architecture. As strong symbolic sparks in a frenetic 21st-century tangle, his creative intrigue is informed by identity, connection, nostalgia, and isolation. "