This new exhibition is the first of its kind to examine the interplay between money, power and dissent over the last 200 years – with a key strand of the show exploring the role of the individual in protesting for rights and representation.
From the radicals of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, like Thomas Spence and the Suffragettes, to current artists and activists, such as Aida Wilde and Hilary Powell, the works on display show how money has been used to promote social and economic equality or satirise those in power.
A range of striking objects in the exhibition reveal the multiple roles money played during conflict, whether it be in occupation or resistance, as tokens of memory and remembrance, created during siege or emergency, made for or by prisoners of war, or made in support of sectarian or political ideologies.
Contemporary artworks by Kennard, Phillipps, Banksy and JSG Boggs are contextualised against earlier works and reveal continuities in the targets of protest across time. More than a hundred visually striking objects, most of which have never been seen before, are juxtaposed with important loans from museums and private collections.
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Paper Dreams Workshop
12th November – Fitzwilliam Museum
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New Art, New Perspectives: Currencies
Fitzwilliam Museum Podcast: LISTEN
In this episode, artist Aida Wilde discusses Dreamboat II, a tiny origami boat made from repurposed Syrian Banknotes. Dreamboat II was commissioned by The Fitzwilliam as part of its Currencies of Conflict and Exchange exhibition. Wilde discusses her desire to raise money and awareness for refugees, as well as her own experience as a survivor of political violence from Iran.
This series is supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Trust.