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Watering the money tree

This artwork - depicting a man urinating on a plant with money bills stuck on its branches instead of flowers - is a self-deprecating visual jest, inspired by personal financial struggles and a play on the "starving artist" stereotype. The phrase embodies the romantic notion of an artist sacrificing material comfort for their passion, highlighting the difficulties many artists encounter in the pursuit of their creative ambitions. This concept is frequently associated with the stereotype of artists living in poverty, often struggling to balance artistic integrity with financial stability.

More generally, the work is also an attempt to provoke reflection on how society treats wealth, nature, and resources, using an uncomfortable, ironic visual to spark critical thought.

A combination of photography, digital painting, visual montage & AI.

Theo Chronis, 2024