The Currency Project
The Currency Project (TCP) is a long-durational conceptual art project (founded in April 2020) embedded within a real-world global consumer economy to examine, challenge, and reimagine the ways we assign value—economically, socially, and existentially.
By using conceptual artistic processes in an unconventional setting—the global trading card economy—TCP fosters creative discourse on how systems operate, evolve, and intersect, particularly in relation to value and exchange. It draws parallels to broader real-world structures and opens pathways for dialogue and expanded understanding.
To date, TCP has collaborated with and featured the artwork of artists whose work has been exhibited in spaces including:
The Hammer Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego,
Blum Gallery, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Luis De Jesus Gallery, and Wilding Cran Gallery
As of the Summer, 2025, 162 original artworks have been created and released into the trading card ecosystem.
Why Trading Cards?
Trading cards represent a microcosm of a dynamic, global marketplace where value is constantly in flux. This open, fluid economy, underpinned by democratized access, is defined by the interplay of scarcity, diverse cultural narratives, and ongoing negotiations of object values. This accessible medium disrupts traditional art hierarchies, inviting diverse audiences to engage in shared cultural dialogue and allows TCP to operate in an interconnected community.
Long Durational Conceptual Art - History and Context
TCP is a long duration, socially engaged art project inspired by conceptual artists like David Hammons and Gabriel Orozco, whose work reflects on capitalism and critiques market dynamics. Performances like Hammons’ Blizzard Ball Sale and Orozco’s Oroxxo influence TCP's approach to exploring themes of value, power, race, socioeconomics, and sustainability, positioning TCP within a larger tradition of conceptual art practices that examine societal structures.
Exploring Value through Process
Authentic trading cards are artistically altered and uniquely numbered before reentering the trading card ecosystem via no-reserve, 7-day eBay auction starting at $0.99. This process establishes an evolving, art-based structure within the global trading card market, offering a unique lens for examining how systems function.
The concept behind this artistic intervention is in response to Walter Benjamin's seminal essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1935).
Each TCP release is a uniquely hand-crafted reimagination of a machine manufactured surface, transforming it into a time capsule that interweaves artistic intervention with pop cultural icons. Through this transformation, both the resulting artworks and creative process encourage reflection on the broader societal values, ultimately offering a window into our collective zeitgeist.
'Mickey's Magic Kindgom' (right) is an original oil painting on an authentic 1991 Impel Walt Disney Trading Card #100 (left). By reimagining the iconic Walt Disney Castle in the recognizable style of Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral, this work creates a connection between mass-produced collectibles and fine art intervention.
General Ledger
The TCP General Ledger serves as a central record of all artworks released through the project, displaying artwork details and auction data. Beyond verifying authenticity, this archive enables data-driven insights into values, trends, and market behavior. By preserving historical context and fostering transparency, the ledger builds a foundation for the project to rest on and enables the ability to explore how artistic process evolves in the marketplace over time.
Gallery Shows
TCP has exhibited two solo shows curated by Paul Cooley at Deli Grocery Gallery NY.
TCP’s first show Trophic Conversion, Brooklyn, New York, 2020 was a fully immersive 3-channel interactive installation.
TCP’s second show Trophic Cascade, Ridgewood, New York, 2022 included a series of live streamed, 24/7 TCP eBay auction in a street-facing window over the course of 3 weeks.
TCP Founding Artists
The Currency Project was founded as a collaborative project by artists Abdul Mazid (MFA 2014) and Julian Lombardi, whose work interrogates the systems that shape human beliefs and behaviors.
TCP Contributing Artists: Jonah Elijah, LJ Rader (artbutmakeitsports), Julian Hoeber, Matthew Carter
