chad person: taxcut

trinity, 6 in x 6 in, US currency on canvas, 2007

‘taxcut’ by mexico based multimedia artist chad person uses shredded US currency to created collages of military weaponry. on the history behind his work, person explains:

‘in 2002, I was teaching digital photography at a university near an air force base. I’d had several talented and creative soldiers come through my class. and while I tend to forget the bad students pretty quickly, harold is one I would always remember. three semesters after the course ended, I got a phone call from an administrator at the base. apparently, harold had used air force money to take the class…

‘M1 A2’, 16 in x 20 in, US currency on canvas, 2008

…since he had failed my class, the cost of the tuition (around 400 dollars with fees) was to be reneged. this meant that harold would have to repay the military out of his pocket so they could reassign the funds elsewhere. in a time of war, we all need to make tough choices. I chose that day to change a grade, passing a failed student with an A+ to ensure that his tuition fees – which had fortunately found their way into education via a defense allocation, would remain there. he didn’t deserve to pass based on his performance, but I saw it as a rare opportunity to take a little back from our government’s excessive defense spending, even if it might have been just enough to halt the purchase of one box of ammunition.‘

‘carrying the fire’, 10 in x 19 in, US currency on canvas, 2008

chad person has been destroying currency for his work for the past two years. as a professional artist, he deducts his material expenditures as a write off. if he slices up a hundred dollars to make an image, or a thousand, or just a five, he takes it out of the IRS coffers. for him, visualizing the weaponry that he is not buying with those dollars is a reminder that a little creativity can be very empowering.

‘twelvepack’, 11 in x14 in, US currency on canvas, 2009

person will be showcasing his work titled ‘thirst’ at mark moore gallery in santa monica, california. the exhibition renamed ‘surviving the end of your world’ will be on show from july 21 – august 21, 2010.

via flavorpill

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