Trophic Cascade

Deli Grocery is pleased to present Trophic Cascade, the second solo exhibition for The Currency Project (TCP). Founded in March 2020 by Julian Lombardi and Abdul Mazid, The Currency Project introduces its own form of “currency” into an existing ecosystem while storing data of the creation and sale on a public ledger. It is altogether an interactive, socially-engaged, conceptual artwork that explores ideas around value creation, value destruction and value transfer, while having a tangible collectible oil painting on a sports card as its core backing.

The scientific term trophic cascade refers to an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators within an ecosystem, resulting in relative populations of predators and prey to be dramatically affected.  Ultimately, these population changes affect the nutrient cycle and health of the overall ecosystem.

Building off their premise that contemporary economic models are being pushed to extreme limits, they use an existing sports card and collectibles marketplace as a “living ecosystem” to employ their project. This specific marketplace was appealing, as it portrays similar parallels to the fine art economy with collectors, collections, sets, and series.

By first purchasing manufactured cards directly from a global marketplace (eBay) the duo then alters each card using traditional surface preparation and oil painting techniques. Each card is assigned a traceable, tamper-proof serial number and signed on the back by the artists to ensure authenticity. The completed artworks are then reintroduced back into the original ecosystem (eBay) using categorical listings and SEO titling to engage with the existing economy. Each auction begins at $1.00 and runs a full duration without any auction reserve. This system allows the marketplace to engage with each artwork directly and determine the ultimate value of each individual piece of “currency”. Once an auction ends, each artwork is digitally archived on the duo’s public website (zeptos.org). Each completed auction release is carefully reviewed by the duo while numerous data points are gathered and documented for future reference.

For the duration of Trophic Cascade, the Deli Grocery will host TCP’s live auctions (#98-101) through a public viewing window on Bleecker Street. Individuals passing by will be able to visually and digitally engage with the work in real-time.