sculpture series

In Reconstructed Ideals (10), (20), and (200), Lazar Stojic utilizes pieces of the first generation of euro banknotes as ready-mades to question the function and meaning of money as an everyday object as well as a tool to visualize political ideas. The selection of the 10, 20, and 200 euro banknotes was inspired by the theory of primary colors, focusing on their aesthetic qualities rather than their face value.

By tearing the banknotes apart and removing all text, numbers, and stars, Stojic deconstructs money as a capitalist force and symbolically dismantles the ideals associated with the European Union and European identity, manifested visually in the fictitious architectural drawings of the portals and bridges. He then reconstructs the banknotes in an archaeological manner and displays them in illuminated, vitrine-like frames, examining the objects from a futuristic perspective where money has become entirely abstract due to technological progress.

The colors of the frames were carefully chosen by the artist to reflect the color scheme of the banknotes. Moreover, by transforming the banknotes into artworks, each one acquires the same value, regardless of its original denomination.

In looking back at the introduction of the euro and the millennial optimism surrounding this currency conversion, Stojic provokes contemporary questions about political identity, financial control, and the future of a united Europe.