Playing around with money is not something most can afford to do. Even Yosuke Hasegawa feels a bit queasy at times when folding up his "moneygami", but since they lead to sales that bring in more money, he's wincing a lot less these days.
"I do feel like it's a waste sometimes because I use real banknotes, but you really must try to not feel anything," the artist says with a laugh. "It can be made into good artwork though, so I don't regret it anymore!"
As is the trademark for most of Hasegawa's work, the faces of dignified greats on different currencies of the world are the Pole Star in "Moneylicious", his current exhibition at Tadu Thaiyarnyon Contemporary Art. Using famous faces from money is what Hasegawa is famously known for, something he started to do in 2006 after seeing other artists that also use money as their raw material. Through the Japanese native's eyes and touch, a bank note is a mere art supply -- and also quite a laugh after he is done with it.
"When I started to fold money, the images changed," he recalls. "The value of it changes too and the $5 bill doesn't look like the $5 bill anymore. I felt that it was really funny and comical."
Yosuke Hasegawa.
With the secret giggles it could incite, his work gradually gained acceptance thanks to its streak of humour, despite a culture that discouraged toying around with money.
"In Japanese society, most people believe that notes are valuable and should not be played with," explains Hasegawa. "I once folded a present for a niece in first grade and even she told me that notes cannot be made into toys." Still, his work was met with smiles too.
"At first, I used to fold all these notes and gave them to people. It startled them, but it also made them happy. It made me think about all the things money can bring to people and in this case, it's happiness. Not through the money's value, but through my work. I folded money because I wanted to change this idea in society and to find new ideas to cross over this old belief."
The value of "Moneylicious" comes from the fact that it's funny -- it's hard to not burst out laughing when one sees Gandhi in a sombrero, Lincoln gone hip hop and another unidentified face as the scoop in an ice-cream cone. Using all the bank notes of the world (with the exception of Thailand's), his range of collages, prints and paintings feature a dizzying array of figures that include Saddam Hussein, Queen Elizabeth, Mao Zedong, Albert Einstein, Che Guevara, as well as Japanese figures such as Dr Hideyo Noguchi, a celebrated doctor in the bacteria field. With as many as 205 different folds on display -- and not a single piece cut or assembled with anything else -- Hasegawa's moneygami is a lot more than a bored housewife's project. Witaya Junma, a lecturer at the Faculty of Digital Media at Sripatum University, is also a part of the "Moneylicious" exhibition, with his interactive video installations that allow everyday people to become the icons of the legal tender for a change. The Thai artist explains: "Banknotes use important people, architecture or symbols and I wondered why money couldn't give value to normal people. The value of money can change everything, like in Money Town. It can change the value of all buildings so I wanted people to be a part of that too. If anyone can play a part, it should create new perspectives."
However, some of the work takes a more serious course too, such as the ironic and sarcastic paintings that link to religion, politics and materialism. Although speaking little English, Hasegawa's wife, Hiroko, eagerly tries to elaborate on the artwork, "first type very fun for entertainment, others about us very worried about the world".
Witaya Junma.
The two are a well-travelled pair and the idea for "Moneylicious" was sparked after they witnessed a similar pattern in various countries they had visited.
"I have a feeling that the modern world and society places so much importance on the economy. I want people to have the opportunity to think about what money is and what the most important thing is -- because it's something I'm afraid society will throw out," Hasegawa says.
No doubt the persistent question of whether or not money can create genuine happiness is one for which Hasegawa still searches for a solid answer, but by now he has a few ideas about money.
"Of course in everyday life money it is surely very important," he admits. "But asking for more than you need is not good. Modern society asks for so much more than they need when they should know how much is truly necessary. I think people need to be more por piang (sufficient), like what the King says. In Japan, we also have a saying like this."
On an end note, the moneygami master says: "If you have money, you may be able to buy books but you cannot buy knowledge. You need to study hard to get good grades. You can buy guitars but you cannot buy skills and talent. You need to practice.
"I just want to say that money is not the most important thing ever and that there are things money cannot buy."
"Moneylicious" is on display at Tadu Thaiyarnyon Contemporary Art, Sukhumvit 87, until Sept 5. Tadu Thaiyarnyon Contemporary Art is open Mon-Sat from 10am-6pm and closed on public holidays.
Moneylicious.
Witaya's interactive installation.
