– 2015 – installation / booklet

A stylized portrait of Alexander Lukashenko composed out of a hundred and nine 50 Belorussian Rubles bills individually nailed to a wall. Presented alongside are a postcard used as inspiration and a photo of the booth in Minsk where the postcard was purchased.

5450 Belorussian Rubles is the price of a postcard depicting the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. 109 of the practically useless (for trading purposes) 50 BYR bill. That’s just under 0,39 Euros for the whole of them. The value behind a banknote isn’t universally proportional to its size or costs of production. Lukashenko is seen, literally, through the lens of his overly inflated national currency. Is the Belorussian ruble in itself an image of the country’s aspiration to a capitalist system and the politics of its authoritarian ruler?

A booklet containing the 109 Belorussian 50 Ruble bills used in the previous wall mounted installation. The embossed cover reads “Portrait of Lukashenko” .