Borders & Frontiers: Fortune's Daughter

First and foremost, I would like to state that I am blown away with all of the works of art in the Oakland University Art Gallery's current exhibit "Borders and Frontiers: Collage and Appropriation in the Contemporary Image." I am not only attracted to this exhibit for the talent, detail and color, but I have always been a fan of immersing myself in collage in both practice and study.

I was particularly intrigued by Mark Wagner's money collages, with their incredible detail and unique shapes within. At first glance, I didn't notice what the collage was created with but loved the flowing lines and contrasts within the works. Upon closer inspection, I began to realize what I was looking at: an incredible amount of meticulously cut one dollar bills that were assembled to mean something other than what every American has ever seen them as.

In Wagner's work Fortune's Daughter (2004), the artist disassembled the US currency to form a beautifully detailed nude woman engulfed with beautiful floral designs near the bottom of her feet framed between architectural archways. Different sections of the dollar are used to create contrast between shaded and lighted areas, as well as to create distinctions between the different elements within the artwork (human form, flowers, frame). The flow of the lines within the daughter's body is one of the most interesting aspects of the artwork to me. They almost resemble what you would see if you were looking at the muscles on the inside of the human body. The size of Fortune's Daughter adds to the life-like human form, at a good six feet or so in height and two to three feet wide.

I took the time to get good and close to this work and noticed the beautiful and incredible detail in the flowers and background around the nude woman and was completely enthralled. Though the lines and shapes are beautiful and detailed from afar, I find myself most attracted to this floral work. The circle is the most beautiful and perfect shape and I enjoy how Wanger has created such beautiful shapes out of the common dollar bill.

This section of the work is just one small detail from the large. When you get up close to Wagner's Fortune's Daughter, you see the meticulously stripped bills and the interweaving and precise placement of each piece. The whole is transformed into smaller wholes of themselves. Though Wagner uses paper in collage, the appearance of seamless flowing lines traveling throughout the piece is reminiscent of Van Gogh's post-impressionist "Starry Night" painting style.

One could look at this piece, or any of Wagner's money collages really, and make connections with Marxism, postmodernist, feminist, or consumerist theories within the art field. The greatest connection to theory I can create to is either with the Marxist theory or the feminist theory. Marxism can be understood in light of the materials of which the collage is created: US currency. It could be seen as a social commentary on how the porn industry is one of the most profitable businesses in the world.

A feminist point of view, which is the connection I lean toward, is perhaps seen through the subject matter of the collage and what makes up that subject: a nude woman assembled with dollar bills. One could comment on how women are undervalued in American society and generally make less money than men, even when in the same position. Another argument could be made that women with nice bodies, or who exploit their bodies, tend to make more money within many industries.

Though I can understand many theories and comments made upon this work in such a context, I find myself looking at Fortune's Daughter and appreciating it for it's pure human form and the meticulous detail and time put into creating it. I am in awe of the thought and planning of this work and have great respect and admiration for Mark Wagner, with his patience and creative eye. I am a huge fan of creating and viewing collage works and his work shows me a side of the art form that I had never been exposed to before. I only hope to gain such patience and craftsmanship within my own work as I develop as an artist.