Abstract
Behind a seemingly technical discourse of volatility, liquidity or market efficiency, Wall Street exerts an opaque influence on the men and women of the street. In recent years, a number of economic sociologists have challenged this peculiar situation with the emerging literature on the social studies of finance (see De Goede 2005 for an online review). In a new and surprising turn of events, contemporary artists are joining academics in their intellectual exploration of finance.
Just as the aesthetics of Warhol's can of Campbell soup prompted reflection about mass media and bureaucratic mass production—in short, the capitalism of the 1950s—finance art now provides an up to date commentary on our present-day capitalism. This emerging art genre examines the meaning of work and value in an economy characterized by interactive technology, mathematical formulae and market-based organizations.
From June 27 to September 3, the Spanish museum La Casa Encendida in Madrid will host an exhibition on art and finance titled Derivatives, new art financial visions. The gathering will bring together nine different international artists with pieces inspired on the capital market.
For sociologists, Derivatives offers an inspiring new lens to reflect on modern capital markets. The curators were led to the pieces by their sparkling relevance to the capital markets. Using techniques as diverse as video games, prints, projections and even a live "financial concert," the artists bring to life abstract sociological concepts such as representation, mediation or corporate board interlocks. The tantalizing promise of the exhibition is that bringing the stock market inside a museum will lead to new ways of thinking about them—the "new financial visions" that the project promises in its title.