How many of us first heard of Cryptocurrency with the connotation that “it’s scammy” or “only criminals use it”? And then with the introduction of Bitcoin and all it’s volatility, making it a “high risk investment”?
Carlos Marcial brings a powerful statement in the form of his “Memorial to Fiat Violence”, invoking all of us to pause and reflect on why mainstream media have always painted Cryptocurrency a certain way and somehow brushes off the dangers of a centralized, government-controlled currency.
There have been several instances in the past 15 years where corruption of a fiat monetary system led to mass violence, unemployment and economic downturns for global communities. The banking and housing crisis of ‘08 in the US. The drug cartels in Latin America. And as we live longer with the COVID global pandemic, the inevitable economic ramifications that will come in the coming months with record-high unemployment.
The gun is wrapped in actual scans of various international currencies. Beautiful and yet deadly, it reminds us that fiat money can be monitored and controlled by a centralized body of governance. One that can do more harm than good in the wrong hands.
In fact, during the art creation process, Carlos was unable to manipulate certain textures b/c the tool he was using detected he was using real scans of money. If this isn’t a stark reminder that every aspect of our lives can be controlled by a central entity, then we don’t know what is!
The artist shares his own experience with cryptocurrency, with how he lost his day job and is now purely supporting his family with his cryptoart sales. This would not have been possible in the traditional art world. Only with cryptoart and the NFT community was he able to get a steady stream of income from a global collector base. Several cryptoartists have also chimed in, sharing similar stories, in which cryptoart enabled them to quit their day jobs and live out their dreams of creating art full-time.
We’ll be auctioning off this gorgeous piece of art next weekend. Stay tuned for more updates as we finalize the auction schedule by following our Twitter, or joining us in Discord.
-Async Team
