In Time of Inflation, Argentine Artist Paints on Money

 In Time of Inflation¹, Argentine Artist Paints on Money

Inflation has caused Argentinian artist Sergio Guillermo Diaz to create an unusual kind of art. He paints on money and sells it.

With yearly inflation that likely neared 100 percent last year, Argentina's 1,000-peso bill is worth around $5.60 officially and only $3.00 on private markets.

Diaz, in a talk with Reuters in the northern city of Salta, said, "... it makes sense for me to paint on the largest denominated bill here in Argentina. Once I paint on it, I can sell it for much more than what the bill is worth."

He says he includes ideas about inflation and the peso's loss of value into his works, which also feature the U.S. one-dollar bill.

On the money, he has painted pictures such as soccer star Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup. He has also created images about the peso's loss of value in recent years – a change that has helped pull 40 percent of the country's population into poverty.

Diaz said his work shows "how inflation is lived, how this is growing, which ultimately² affects us all, totally affects our lives and our purchasing power, how we are living through this crisis³."

Words in This Story

denominate – v. to be expressed in an exact kind of monetary⁴ unit (said of sums of money)

 

ultimately – adv. at the most basic level : in the central or most important way

1 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

2 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。