Judy Rey Wasserman's Art & Scripture Blog

Any image of a crypto currency coin is a fantasy, even if it is a logo, since crypto currencies do not exist in real coin form. That is intrinsic to crypto currencies. Basically they can be understood as digital mathematical equations that have been solved and exist on a blockchain, which is also found only via the Internet.  Bitcoins and other crypto currencies are conceptual money.

The artwork shown here (below) is my Essence Portrait (basic image) of a Bitcoin.  It is a part of my In God We Trust art series, and its new Money Project.

Fiat currencies, those issued by a government have always had a physical form. Usually the artwork shown on a coin or bill has political relevance and reinforced the ideas of the country’s culture.  Fiat currencies that you may know or use are called:  dollars, Euros, British sterling, yen, pesos, marks and shekels, etc.  These forms of currency used to be backed by gold or silver, but none are backed by anything other than their governments strength and credit today.

Since neither fiat currencies nor crypto currencies are backed by any precious metal or other commodity, it is very simple to transfer their value between companies and individuals electronically and digitally. For example when you use a debit card to make a purchase the numerical value of that purchase is subtracted from your account and added to the accounts of the merchant and processing company. Actual paper or coin money is not actually physically transferred from your bank to the bank and merchant’s account.

 History and movies are filled with true and fictional accounts of train and armored car robberies that occurred as money or the precious gold or silver that backed it were moved in and out of banks.  Today’s bank robbers are hackers who rob digital databases for account information that they use to transfer funds to their own accounts. Both fiat and crypto currencies have endured these attacks.

In a way crypto currencies are safer than fiat currencies as a robber cannot rob digital wallets at gunpoint because physically there is no way to collect their loot. Armed robbers can and still do rob stores and banks and get away with currency bills and coins. Art robberies are also continue, but frankly, I cannot recall any art armed robberies.

Ironically, as art my image of a Bitcoin has value when it becomes a limited edition signed print or painting, which could be paid for online through my shopping card with a debit card,or handed to me in cash or sent  inbitcoin (or fractional amount). This image will be used in artwork that is available as perks and bonuses to reward levels in my upcoming Indiegogo campaign.

In addition to its value as art, this artwork is created following the tenets of Post Conceptual art’s UnGraven Image theory. Each and every stroke that makes up this image is a letter, a Torah font letter taken from specific Bible texts that relate to the image.

These letters also are symbols that also elegantly reference strings of elementary physics, which are the basis of the physical universe. Thus the strokes present an extra level of information that is additional to the image, adding additional and intrinsic informational value.

Bitcoin as a currency that is based on information called bits. These bits of information are binary. Likewise Torah font Hebrew is a binary font – the only alpha numeric binary font in any language. Thus each letter can be written using combinations of two letters, a yud and a vav, and also it is binary as each letter can be written by simply making one or two strokes. Thus, as strokes for any crypto currency, using the Torah font closely relates to digitized information.

Bitcoin as the most popular and prominent crypto currency is making strides forward, and then backwards, and then forward again to find acceptance and legitimacy with federal, state and foreign governments. Its proponents say that it will help the unbanked, which means poor people, both in industrialized and emerging nations. Of course helping the poor, fair weights and measures and equal opportunities are all found in the Bible, in the Torah(Pentateuch) and those ideas as principles and laws originated there, out in the Sinai desert as the Israelites fled Egypt, and have been carried forward by Jews and then Christians ever since.  Fiat currencies also have an inherent equality without regard to persons insofar as a dollar held by a poor person is worth as much as one held by someone wealth, but this is generally true for most valuable items and commodities, as well as all crypto currencies.

I have also noted that Bitcoin is making its best strides forward primarily in countries where the Bible is welcomed or at least legal to own and discuss openly.  This toleration includes countries that are not thought of as having either many Jews or
Christians, like Japan. It may just be a coincidence, but it is interesting to note.

However, as fine art my images of bitcoins (much more to be revealed over time and in the Indiegogo campaign) can legally physically go and be sold in countries that do not accept Bitcoin as of this writing such as Russia, or are difficult places to own a Bible because art easily crosses borders and barriers.