Zero Dollar

The Zero Cruzeiro and Zero Dollar banknotes are part of Cildo Meireles’ most important and long-lasting conceptual art series, Insertions into Ideological Circuits, which he began in 1970. Through this project, the artist explored the relationship between the process of making and distributing art, the circulation of information and commodities, and the political meanings embedded in currency. In Zero Cruzeiro, Meireles challenged the selection process for certain figures that historical narratives elevated as national heroes to decorate Brazilian currency. Instead, in his “valueless” bills, he chose to depict an Indigenous person from the Krahô tribe on one side, and a mental patient on the other. According to the artist, these figures represent marginalized groups “to whom society seems to attribute no value.” In Zero Dollar, Meireles chose the images of Uncle Sam and Fort Knox to symbolize how the United States is sometimes seen abroad: a patronizing, patriarchal nation that often uses its power to manipulate the global economy.