Born in 1977, Xu Qu is among the generation of Chinese artists who grew up during mainland China’s period of rapid economic development after
Deng Xiaoping initiated his policies of Opening and Reform. He was educated in China and Germany, and in his artistic practice he often explores transnational themes such as power structures and global relations. His Currency War series reconstructs the watermarks of banknotes from various countries—for this work, Argentina’s 10 peso note— rendering their abstract patterns as paintings. As markings of economic value and authenticity, the watermarks invite viewers to consider the art market’s methods of commodifying visual objects, and also larger questions of the abstraction of wealth and dematerialization of money in today’s global economy.