ANTONI MUNTADAS
(Spain, 1942)


The Bank, 1999
digital image, 101.5 x 76.5 cm
Courtesy the artist, Galería Moisés Pérez
De Albéniz, Pamplona



The piece is part of the series On Translation in which the artist explores issues of transcription, interpretation and translation. The image confronts the viewer with a question – how long will it take for a $1000 sum to disappear through a series of currency exchanges? It refers to the process of monetary exchange as part of the constant flow of capital and its economic result. In this case, the result is that the sequence of transactions will ultimately lead to a complete disappearance of the original amount. This work raises the issue of money flows and their impact on reality, since in order to keep the economic system going, the circulation of money is necessary and the institutions involved in it are directly profiting from it. Muntadas’ work also reminds of the fact that the money circulating in the global capital market exceeds by far the value of the traded goods and services being produced. This in turn points to a detachment of the financial markets from the real economy, and of price from value.





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