Conceptual Surrealist Migrant Woman Portrait on Coin. "Currency #232"

"Currency #232" is part of Natasha Lelenco’s Currencies series, created using acrylic on a 26 cm circular wooden panel. This striking piece features a surrealist profile portrait in vivid green, set against a soft lilac background. The intricate face markings evoke an abstract sense of mapping or roots, echoing themes of identity and dislocation. The inscription in Spanish encircles the figure, reading: “Lo siento, yo tampoco soy de aquí,” which translates to “I’m sorry, I’m not from here either.” This text captures the emotional undercurrent of alienation and the shared experience of migration.

This artwork, like others in the series, highlights the artist's conceptual exploration of arbitrary value. Each piece bears a different price, reflecting the unpredictable nature by which society assigns worth based on origin, class, or identity. Despite the consistency in craftsmanship across the series, the varying prices comment on the fluidity of value as perceived by society and its treatment of different lives.

As an interesting curiosity, the artist offers her collectors the possibility to exchange the equivalent value of the percentage that would have been due to the artist from the sale of these coins for future works of her own creation. Therefore, beyond acquiring a wonderful piece of art, they acquire the opportunity to visit the artist's studio and consider the purchase of another work using this as a form of payment.

Keywords: surrealist portrait, migration, conceptual art, green profile, lilac background, foreignness, acrylic on wood, circular panel, Natasha Lelenco, Currencies series, identity and dislocation, Spanish inscription, contemporary art.