Symbolic Portrait of Migration & Family History - 'Currency #252'

Part of Natasha Lelenco’s Currencies series, Currency #252 presents an intricately detailed female profile against an olive-green circular background, painted in acrylic on a treated wooden panel. The Spanish inscription, "Me casé con un extranjero. Pero nunca fui de aquí. De una familia de migrantes. Servidumbre. Guerra. Huída.", which translates to "I married a foreigner. But I was never from here. From a family of migrants. Servitude. War. Escape.", evokes themes of displacement, inherited struggles, and the weight of generational migration. The artwork transforms the traditional coin format into a medium for personal narratives, replacing national figures with anonymous faces that bear untold stories. The composition’s earthy palette, combined with finely rendered facial details, enhances the work’s emotional impact, creating a meditation on belonging, survival, and the shifting nature of identity. As with all pieces in the Currencies series, this work is designed for both standalone display and adaptable installations, inviting collectors to engage with the deeper social discourse embedded in Lelenco’s practice.