Edition of X

Edition of X

For the duration of the exhibition, P! gallery, located in a storefront space in China-Town N.Y. was turned into a currency exchange booth. The visitor is obliged to interact with the designated clerk,  most of the time gallery owner Prem Krishnamurthy, who explains the exchange rates: only Iraqi, Syrian, Afghan, Lebanese, and other currencies from the Middle East are available for exchange in the rate of one to one. The exchange rate will become a matter of negotiation between the clerk and the visitor.

When finally entering the booth, the viewers come across an abstract metal sculpture titled Attention, a human-size Minimalist depiction of a man with a rifle. The weapon points towards the glass window that connects between the front and the back of the gallery, and it is “charged” by a rubber band. Underneath one of the sculpture’s legs is a fold of stacked $100 bills, tempting the viewer to lean down and grab the cash. However, once the money is removed the sculpture loses its balance, and the gunman shoots.