Currency #200 As If Everything I Know, Everything I've Lived Through, Is Worthless Here

"As if everything I know, everything I've lived through, is worthless here." This is the phrase that can be read in this piece, which, in this case, portrays a young Venezuelan immigrant in Spain that the artist interviewed and used as a model in the context of the series "Exchange Currencies. It is a unique work consisting of a meticulously crafted portrait executed on a treated circular pine wood cut. Conceptually, the artwork is part of a project in which the artist, drawing from her own experience, explores 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.

Natasha Lelenco, an artist of Moldovan origin, explores themes of foreignness and delves into the well-trodden subject of the value of art with this series.

While conventional coins have a fixed value and typically depict a national figure, Natasha's coins showcase anonymous faces and offer variable, often arbitrary, selling values. These coins can function both individually and as panels alongside others from the same series, allowing for the creation of installations as vast as desired.