The Currency

These serpent shaped currencies are made of iron, have a lovely patina and are each presented upon a custom black iron stand.  

For the Mbole, currency transcended mere monetary value; it symbolized social relationships, status, and cultural identity.

This currency sword, like most African trade currency items, was used as a way to transfer wealth for the purpose of buying land or animals but is most often associated with the sign...

The Afo Bridal Currency was used in Nigeria until the early 1940s.

This sculptural African bronze currency piece forms a powerful circular silhouette, crowned by two elongated, crossing points that meet like a ritual gesture.

An early 20th century antique African tribal leg band (ankle bracelet), These leg bands were both currency and status symbols for the Mongo tribe of northwest Congo.

We had a strong set of cards to play with that cold morning, but I needed to prioritise the conveyance of a sense of place without losing the currency of having such powerful props. ...

Extra Large Curved Hoe Currency Angas, Nigeria Early 20th century Iron 25.25 x 17.5 in. / 64 x 44 cm Height on custom display stand: 29.75 in. / 76 cm Weight: 12.8 pounds / 5.8 kg C...

In Africa, currency evolved in a different way to conventional money.

Wonderful spear form currency with spiral loops below the spear head festooned with three 'bells' on each side.

A profile rendered in amber and ochre tones emerges against an intense fluorescent pink ground, surrounded by a hand-painted multilingual inscription. Titled Currency #165, the work...

We had a strong set of cards to play with that cold morning, but I needed to prioritise the conveyance of a sense of place without losing the currency of having such powerful props. ...

This primitive sword currency was forged from a single piece of iron. Metal currency pre-dated minted coinage in Africa by many centuries.

Extra Large Curved Hoe currency Angas, Nigeria Early 20th century Iron Measures: 29.5 x 20.5 in. / 75 x 52 cm Height on custom display stand: 33.25 in. / 84 cm Weight: 20.6 p...

The traditional form of the Senufo currency bracelet is stripped down in this more minimalistic version.

Three African iron currency blades or swords currency from the Topoke peoples from the Democratic Republic of Congo which are nicely presented upon a custom metal stand.

These serpent shaped currencies are made of iron, have a lovely patina and are each presented upon a custom black iron stand.             

The ultimate expression of skill in this type of currency is thinness. The artist risks everything by going too far.

The ultimate expression of skill in this type of currency is thinness. The artist risks everything by going too far.

The hoe currency is among the most architecturally compelling of these objects.

This is a pair of African iron currency blade or sword currency from the Nkutshu, Topoke & Songo Meno peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) which are nicely presented upon cu...

The price is for an individual currency and includes the custom made stand. The shape of a Mfunte currency has a seemingly simple yet complex design.

Hand-painted portrait by Natasha Lelenco from her ongoing Currencies series, where symbolic economy, identity and social belonging converge through contemporary portraiture.

African Art African Currency bronze 7.50h x 7w x 2d in 11.75h x 7w x 3d in (on stand) AFR165

This finely cast African currency ring transforms the concept of wealth into a work of art.

This work forms part of Currencies, LSYTSDA, an ongoing project developed by Natasha Lelenco since 2019.

This inverted monochrome Moldovan portrait by Natasha Lelenco, part of her ongoing Exchange Currencies series (I’m Sorry, I’m Not From Here), is an acrylic painting on a circular pin...

Max Ernst Systeme de monnaie solaire System of Solar Currency Histoire Naturelle Natural History Verlag Gerd Hatje Stuttgart Spies Leppien 222 collotype frottage Surrealism.

This monochrome portrait by Natasha Lelenco, part of her ongoing Exchange Currencies series (I’m Sorry, I’m Not From Here), is an acrylic painting on a circular pine wood panel (26 c...

This work forms part of Currencies, LSYTSDA, an ongoing project developed by Natasha Lelenco since 2019.

2 African iron Bandaka hoe currency, Mabila and Chamba Peoples, Nigeria and Cameroon.

The circular format recalls the structure of currency while shifting its meaning toward symbolic exchange.

This work forms part of Currencies, LSYTSDA, an ongoing project developed by Natasha Lelenco since 2019.

This work forms part of Currencies, LSYTSDA, an ongoing project developed by Natasha Lelenco since 2019.

Circular portrait painting on wood panel with English text inscription exploring identity, language, and displacement. Currency #237 by Natasha Lelenco is a hand-painted acrylic por...

They were adorned with coin-shaped decorations along the lower sections of their lattice-like branches, the currency of the Han period. These coin motifs symbolized wealth and abunda...

The choice of Galician—a historically minoritized language—reinforces the work’s meditation on cultural persistence, endurance and voice within migratory contexts. In the Currencies ...

By April 1948, the municipal trade office had already grown to a team of 50 to 60 employees. Following the currency reform in 1948, we began to experience some initial challenges in ...

Painted in acrylic on treated pine wood (26 cm diameter, 2 cm thickness), Currency #254 combines figurative precision with conceptual strength.

A very similar blue Lacquered desk by the same maker Pierre Migeon is shown in the 7th photo provided and is in the same form and style with similar chinoiserie decorations and was s...

This artwork belongs to Natasha Lelenco’s ongoing Currencies series, a body of work that examines migration, identity and social value through the visual language of coins, medals an...

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

What started as a random departure into typography has now become a revelation on the currency of language, easily dispersed but adds lightness and value to any interaction.

In Oshima’s compositions, currency operates as a silent language of measurement, reminding viewers that personal worth is often evaluated through external standards.

Before the Euro in Holland we had the currency Gulden. This had a specific pattern. The other option is to choose for the piggy bank slot.

By April 1948, the municipal trade office had already grown to a team of 50 to 60 employees. Following the currency reform in 1948, we began to experience some initial challenges in ...

By April 1948, the municipal trade office had already grown to a team of 50 to 60 employees. Following the currency reform in 1948, we began to experience some initial challenges in ...

I choose the best materials available to make the art pieces, including blown glass from Murano, Italy and the most important global currencies and noble metals available in differen...

He brought with him a large sum of money in roubles, only to find the currency worthless. Ever resilient, he quickly picked up his racing career.

Often seen as the first universal currency, this coin-type was struck across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East long after Alexander’s death in 323 BC, reflecting the power of h...

The astute comparison between the syringe and currency reinforces the idea that "money is a drug"; drugs are bad, and money is the root of all evil, so the artist cleverly places the...

The repetition of Barbie heads dispersed among the currency suggests the multiplicity of identities shaped by social expectations and media representation.

The subtle play of highlights across the figure contrasts with the rigid linearity of the currency design, reinforcing the coexistence of emotional subjectivity and economic structure.