NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF PROTEST AND CURRENCY
From ancient acts of coin defacement to the modern manipulation of banknotes and the current connection of artworks to digital currencies, protests bound to monetary instruments with pigment and pixels are very much alive and evolving.
Embarking on the creation of Currency of Protest (2022-2024), I was revisiting a well-travelled path, a historical continuum of dissent articulated on and through currency. The journey began with the Lydians introducing the first coins around 600 BCE, marking currency as both a state instrument and the beginning of monetary defiance. Rejecting a conqueror's coins went beyond mere economic refusal; it symbolized autonomy and resistance to foreign control. This evolved in ancient Rome with the overstriking of coins—altering existing coins with new images or marks to assert political change or resistance, demonstrating currency's ability to convey political statements and challenge authority during periods of political upheaval.
(L) Lydian third stater, or trite, minted approximately 600 BC
(R) Roman sextans struck over a Neapolitan bronze coin, 91 BC
The Middle Ages (11th-15th Century) witnessed the rise of mints and the complex entanglements of currency with governance, leading inevitably to tax revolts and peasant uprisings. The development of "minting technology" and fiscal policies, such as debasement and taxation, sowed the seeds of economic strain and societal unrest. These policies catalyzed organized resistance movements, highlighting the connection between fiscal manipulation and social dissent.
The churn of the Industrial Revolution forged new social classes and dynamics, igniting protests for workers' rights. The spread of banknotes and the ascendancy of capitalist economies exacerbated the divide between labor and capital, catalyzing a wave of strikes and the birth of movements aimed at rectifying economic injustices.
Another key ingredient in this evolution is the historical tension between communities desiring to mint their own money and centralized powers regulating this practice, highlighted by the Currency Act of 1764. This act curtailed the American colonies' ability to print their own legal tender, underscoring currency as a battleground for autonomy and resistance—a theme that still resonates with contemporary movements toward community-created banknotes.
The origins of art merging with currency can be seen in George Cruikshank's 1819 piece, the Bank Restriction Note, which examined penalties for counterfeit money by reinterpreting a Bank of England £1 note.
George Cruikshank, Bank Restriction Note, 1819
(L) Suffragette stamped penny, early 1910’s (R) George V Penny Stamped During the Irish War of Independence (1919-21)
Mid-century efforts further showcased currency's role in social movements. For example, during the civil rights movement in the US, activists used currency to circulate messages advocating for equality and justice, embedding the struggle within the currency that moved through society.
In the 1970s artists like Cildo Meireles harnessed this medium to embed subversive critiques against oppressive regimes, weaving resistance into the fabric of daily transactions and creating new currency like “Zero dollar.” The late 20th century witnessed artists like J.S.G. Boggs challenging conventional notions of value and exchange with his hand-drawn banknotes, an invitation to question what we consider as 'real' currency and the foundational principles of our economic systems.
Cildo Meireles, Zero Dollar, 1984, offset lithograph, 2 4/5 × 6 1/5 in
J.S.G Boggs, Boggs Bill, U.S. $1,000, American Numismatic Association, 1997, mixed media
Criminal Justice Reform stamp campaign by Amplifier.org, 2015
(L) Chase Master Card, Hank Willis Thomas, 2004 (R) Afro-American Express, Hank Willis Thomas, 2004
In our current century dozens of artists (including Banksy, D*Face, and Shepard Fairey) have altered and mimicked banknotes to draw attention to power imbalance. Grassroots public ink stamp campaigns like Women on 20s’ Harriet Tubman, Stamp Stampede’s “Get Money out of Politics,” and numerous others around Occupy WallStreet, and Criminal Justice Reform projects by Amplifier.org. Artists like Hank Willis Thomas pushed currency boundaries further utilizing credit card imagery to critique consumerism and explore the commodification of identity, linking modern credit culture with deeper societal narratives.
The dawn of the 21st century heralded a digital currency revolution as well, with cryptocurrencies and digital activism reshaping protest and fundraising methodologies. This era of digital currencies, exemplified by M-Pesa and Bitcoin, heralded a paradigm shift, enabling decentralized transactions that challenged traditional financial and power structures. By the 2020s artists were attaching countless forms of visual works to these new currencies adding another chapter in the story of art, currency, and protest. Yet, this digital dawn also unveiled the contradictions within decentralized systems, including issues of centralization and the challenge of ensuring inclusivity and diversity within the crypto space.
Currency of Protest was born into this continuum in the spring of 2022, when I began using nascent generative AI tools to try to predict the future and print it on banknotes!
To see the timeline of versions of this project from 2022-2024 please go HERE.