Money Archaeology: Cyprus — Between Archive, Nature, and Artificial Intelligence

All photographic and archival materials presented in this project are derived from a private collection of Cypriot banknotes. These materials are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without prior authorization.

The Money Archaeology project continues its exploration of value, memory, and symbolism through a new chapter rooted in Cyprus — an island where history, identity, and economy are deeply intertwined.

This phase of the project began with a rare opportunity: access to a private collection of Cypriot banknotes, including archival materials, rare editions, and even specimen notes that were never officially printed or publicly circulated. Some of these artifacts trace their origins to the period when Cyprus was still unified, offering a glimpse into a complex historical and political landscape. The collection itself carries a unique story — shaped through acquisitions connected to institutions such as the Bank of England, revealing a “behind-the-scenes” layer of monetary history rarely accessible to the public.

Working with these materials, I approached banknotes not as currency, but as cultural objects — layered with symbolism, design language, and encoded narratives of trust and authority.

In Cyprus, however, another layer emerged.

The island’s natural structures and textures — stone, salt, erosion, mineral surfaces — began to resonate with the visual language of the banknotes themselves. Patterns of security, repetition, and fragmentation echoed forms found in nature. This connection became the foundation for a new series of works.

In this process, artificial intelligence became a collaborator. Through AI-assisted analysis and image generation, I explored hidden structures, patterns, and visual relationships between banknote design and natural formations. The dialogue between human intuition and machine interpretation allowed the work to evolve beyond traditional artistic methods.

The resulting artworks form a cycle where economy, landscape, and perception intersect — questioning what we assign value to, and why.

Selected sketches from this series are currently being developed for submission to the Open Call at Faneromeni, Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, continuing the dialogue between art, history, and contemporary interpretation.

Money Archaeology: Cyprus invites us to reconsider money not as a fixed system, but as a living archive — shaped by time, context, and belief.