Insertions into Ideological Circuits 2: Banknote Project 1970

Editor: This is Cildo Meireles's "Insertions into Ideological Circuits 2: Banknote Project," an artwork from, well, no date is listed. It looks like an altered Brazilian banknote. It has a defaced quality that feels very confrontational. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Ah, Meireles! He's inviting us to ponder the silent narratives carried by everyday objects. Imagine this banknote, silently passing from hand to hand. What unspoken power does it wield? He is asking us to consider that the value of an item of currency is only what we ascribe to it, or what those in power ascribe to it. Editor: So, it's about questioning the power structures inherent in something as simple as money? Curator: Precisely! It's a whispered rebellion, a chance for the everyday person to make their voice heard within the system. Editor: I never thought of money as having a voice, but now I see it.