Paper Money
The value of paper money is not limited to the “present world,” as real money must first be used to purchase it, before it is ceremonially burned to transfer its value into the afterlife.
↑Photo by Yu-Tzu HuangPaper Lotus(紙蓮花) and Gold Yuan Bao(金元寶) are some of the paper money commonly used in Taiwan. The original intention behind folding Paper Lotus and Gold Yuan Bao is to provide comfort and prosperity for ancestors in the afterlife, allowing the deceased to purchase luxuries and live more easily in the spiritual world. These offerings also symbolise the devotion and contribution of a family during funeral rituals. The value of paper money is not limited to the “present world,” as real money must first be used to purchase it, before it is ceremonially burned to transfer its value into the afterlife.
During the pandemic, when Yu-Tzu Huang was unable to return to Taiwan from the Netherlands to attend her grandfather’s funeral, the act of folding paper money became a personal ritual of mourning and remembrance. In this project, Huang redesigned the graphics of the paper money by incorporating the Wangsheng Mantra and fictional currency denominations that do not exist in reality, reinterpreting the family’s deepest blessings and emotional devotion toward the deceased. Through the continuous manual labour of folding paper money, the work reflects on the relationship between money, spirituality, and ritual, while honouring the memory of her grandfather. On the final day of the fair, Huang burned all of the paper lotuses folded throughout the fair period as a concluding ritual gesture, together with all participants.
↑Photo by Chun-Yao LinYu-Tzu Huang presented this project at the NON NATIVE NATIVE FAIR, held from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 July 2023 at Framer Framed Amsterdam, alongside other participating artists.
