Annette Kelm 500 Euro, 2018

Annette Kelm's photograph 500 Euro depicts a fake banknote fastened by a string or rubber band against the background of a colorful Op Art pattern.

The combination sets up formal and conceptual comparisons between the components, essentially two different pieces of paper. There is a formal comparison, between color and pattern on the currency and the repeating pattern in the background, but also one of notional value. The 500 Euro bill (if it were real) gains its value from the existing monetary system, while the decorative pattern—possibly as an artwork or simply as a design—has a symbolic one.