Smorgasbord: Italy 2002

Barton Lidice Benes made this collage called "Smorgasbord: Italy" from paper and money. I love how he uses currency as a raw material. It's like he's saying art can be found in the everyday. The coat hanger shape is made from Italian Lira, each note telling a story if you look closely. The money's texture gives depth, and the way Benes folds and arranges it is almost sculptural. Then there are these paper tendrils hanging down, like little price tags maybe? I wonder what a piece like this means in a world so driven by money. Benes reminds me a bit of Kurt Schwitters, turning trash into treasure. Both artists knew how to find beauty in unexpected places and turn something ordinary into something thought-provoking. Is it pretty? Is it critical? Or is it just a provocation to make us think?