Over £1m of shredded cash in artworks to be displayed next to the Bank of England

British artist Imbue has taken over £1m worth of real shredded currency and cast it into human-sized resin skulls.

A collection of the money skulls is set to be displayed in a gallery alongside the Bank of England in Imbue’s latest exhibition, Death + Taxes, which explores themes of money, corporations and the cost of living crisis.

The skulls feature shredded pound sterling alongside the two most-traded global currencies, the US dollar and the Euro.

Imbue has chosen to exhibit his latest collection of artworks next to the Bank of England in the City of London, the control centre of the UK’s economy. The exhibition encourages people to visit the City of London, a place with special status and its own government, Mayor and special police force, and take a look around at the institutions that wield significant power over the lives of everyday people.

The exhibition will also feature other pieces around the theme of money, including a 24kt gold plated Freddo bar, a concept the artist struck up amid rocketing prices for everyday items. The piece aims to make people question ‘how far is too far?’ when it comes to inflation.

The Death + Taxes exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to have their financial fortunes read by a mysterious ‘Victorian’ fortune-teller machine, and will display new money-themed pieces such as a ‘modified’ ATM cash machine; those with an aversion to blood, be warned.

The exhibition will also feature the Brexit Bill receipt printer detailing the mounting cost and ongoing financial damage in real-time. Visitors to the Death + Taxes exhibition will be able to take away their own receipt as a souvenir and memento of the times we’re living in.

“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin

Death + Taxes will run from June 02 – June 11 at 5 Royal Exchange, next to the Bank of England in the City of London. Entry is free and open to all. Opening hours: June 02 6pm to 10pm. All other dates: 12pm – 5pm.

About Imbue: Imbue has been hailed as a ‘brilliant British artist’ on Forbes.com and his past exhibitions featured on The Independent. The artist’s work often features familiar icons with a characteristic twist; we’re talking Coca-Cola bottles fused with the Virgin Mary and the intermingling of science and religion in his Drug Lord editions.

Images available for use here.

See more work @imbue on Instagram

Additional high-res images, interviews and comments from the artist are available on request.