Inflation in Argentina caused an artist named Sergio Guillermo Diaz to create an unusual type of art. He painted the money and sold it. With annual inflation probably close to 100% last year, it was officially announced that 1,000 Argentinian pesos were equivalent to $5.60 and only $3.00 on the private market.
Sergio Guillermo Diaz said in a talk with Reuters in the northern Argentinian city of Salta “it makes sense for me to paint on the banknote of the largest denomination in our country, Argentina. Once I paint on it, I can sell it for more than its billing value.”
He also said that he incorporated ideas about inflation and the loss of value of the peso into his works, as well as featuring the US one dollar bill.
On the currency, he has painted pictures like soccer star Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup Trophy. He has also drawn pictures of the loss of value of the peso in recent years, a change which has helped pull 40% of Argentina’s population into poverty.
Diaz said his work shows how inflation in his country can occur, run and grow which in turn affects people’s purchasing power and how people live through the crisis.
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