Justine Smith

“In my artistic practice, money is my primary material. The power invested in these pieces of paper is immense, and for me, it is like working with an elemental force. In our capitalist world, money affects almost every aspect of our lives. My work seeks to explore money as a conduit of power, and its capacity to impact upon us in a political, social and moral sense, whilst also exploiting the physical beauty of the notes.  On a physical level a banknote is just a piece of paper, but it is what a banknote actually represents that is central to my work.”

Working almost exclusively with international, current issue banknotes and transforming them into maps, collages, sculptures and prints a uniting factor throughout her Money Maps, sculptures and collages is an intricacy and attention to detail where one piece of work can take several months to research and produce.

She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums internationally. Most recently, Justine was commissioned by The Bank of England Museum for a new work to be added to their permanent collection. It will be the object for their 325th Anniversary exhibition "Specimen Florae Brittainiae." Earlier this year her work was selected for inclusion in a major exhibition “Drawing the line: Maps and the 20th Century”, the British Library, London and is hung in 10 Downing Street and HM Treasury. In collaboration with Liberty and Nike her designs were used on a range of sportswear and trainers.  Notable collections include The British Museum, the British Council, The British Library and the UK Government Art Collection along with many international corporations, financial institutions and private collections. Additionally, it has been shown in the Hollywood film Money Monster, as a featured artist in Arte e Denaro, (Art and Money) a 4-part TV documentary series and has been widely seen in the international press including the Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal.