Pic of the Month

Take out the Honest Bill when asked for a bribe

February 4, 2010
By La Cardenala

The Honest Bill was designed by artist Vena2 as part of his piece "Somewhere Under The Rainbow", exhibited on the show "Honesty" in Eyelevel BQE, Brooklyn on December 2009.

The Honest Bill is based on the $100 Mexican peso bill designed with symbols of honesty: in the face of the bill is a Coyote, a symbol of the Nezahualcóyotol, the Coyote King. The Coyote is a symbol of cunning and deceit; facing the coyote is a deer, a symbol of divinity. The Coyote is an expression of regret, referring to the feeling caused by the lack of honesty in our lives. This bill speaks of personal commitment towards “honesty,” thus the caption “I swear never to do it again.¨ The other side of the bill is an offering to Xochipili, the goddess of love, beauty, flowers and art, in gratitude for having allowed overcome the problem of corruption. This offering is part of the poetry to Nezahualcoyotl where we find various symbols as the Maguey: Mayahuel referring to the Hands: representing the man, the Heart of Jade: love for the planet and the Eye, the one who sees all. The value of the bill is honesty, represented as the symbol of infinity, a value not represented by money.

These honest bills are meant to be carried in your wallet as a lucky charm or to use when paying a bribe. You can purchase them at Factoria de Santos online store, at the Eyelevel Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and at Sicario store in Mexico City. Click here to go to our online store

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