Transaction record 202.00 (stain)

"My work is a response or a negotiation with the materials and the situations that come to me in daily life." Gabriel Kuri in an interview with the Getty Conservation Institute.

Over many years and in different countries, Gabriel Kuri collected hundreds of tickets and receipts. They are the starting point for a series of artworks and handwoven tapestries that invite us to reflect on economic processes and our role as consumers.

Transaction record 202.00 (stain) is a handwoven tapestry made of black and white wool. It depicts the receipt of a cash withdrawal made by Gabriel Kuri in New York on 5 April 2023. By transforming a throwaway ATM slip into a monumental tapestry and magnifying every ink stain and crease, he gives an entirely new status to a mundane transaction. The work showcases the Gobelin technique, named after the Manufacture des Gobelins in Paris, which made high-end tapestries for the French upper classes. The contrast between the plainness of the original object and its overwrought reproduction on luxurious tapestry speaks volumes. The work refers not only to a fleeting financial transaction, but also to its social cost and deeper implications.