The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) has unveiled a unique art exhibition at the Héctor Carlos Janson Historical and Numismatic Museum with Bitcoin in the spotlight. The exhibition, titled ‘Art, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Economy’, marks the first time worldwide where actual destroyed currencies from different countries are on display alongside operational Bitcoin miners within a central banking institution.
Argentina’s central bank mines Bitcoin
The innovative exhibition, curated by Argentinian artist Alberto Echegaray Guevara, integrates tangible elements of outdated paper money with the dynamic presence of Bitcoin and Ethereum mining operations. “We developed the exhibition together with the Central Bank. It tries to represent different types of currencies. I have gone to more than seventeen central banks in the last twelve years, where I have destroyed money. The message has to do with the disappearance of paper money and the new financial systems, which are more connected to technology,” said Infobae, an international Argentinian online newspaper. quotes Echegaray Guevara.
The artist emphasizes the shift towards decentralized financial systems, intertwined with artificial intelligence. “For the first time, we will find Bitcoin and Ethereum coins in a Central Bank museum. What I want to tell you is where the financial and monetary systems are going, which are moving towards decentralized systems, which are closely linked to artificial intelligence,” he emphasized.
Echegaray Guevara, who identifies himself as a crypto artist, destroyed currencies from 17 different central banks, including significant amounts such as one million Swiss francs, one million euros, one million reais and 100 million rubles, encapsulating each of them in transparent spheres.
Despite Argentina’s continued dependence on physical currency, Echegaray Guevara highlighted a notable digital shift in the use of the dollar: “Although there is still a lot of paper moneyWhen we talk about dollars, less than 10% is printed, the rest is completely digital.”
The exhibit not only shows destroyed physical currency, but also showcases operational mining hardware that has generated more than 250 BTC and 3,000 ETH in over three years.
To emphasize Ethereum’s prominence, a sphere containing 800 real ETH has been signed by Vitalik Buterinethe creator of the blockchain. Furthermore, the exhibition integrates works by pioneering generative artists of the 1960s, such as Gyula Kosice, Julio Le Parc and Miguel Angel Vidal, who initially used computing power for their artistic endeavors.
The inauguration ceremony, attended by Santiago Bausili, the president of the Central Banktogether with government officials, prominent Argentine collectors and key figures from the crypto sector, underlines the importance of the event. “This exhibition aims to encourage visitors to reflect on the transition process from an economy in which physical money is central to an economy in which cryptocurrencies and digital assets are beginning to gain ground,” the organizers said.
The exhibition, which runs until March 2025, aims to become a milestone in both artistic and financial terms.
The revelation has provoked significant reactions from the global Bitcoin community. Anthony Pompliano, Founder and CEO of Professional Capital Management, commented via As far as I know, this is the first central bank in the world to openly mine Bitcoin. The future is coming very soon.”
Similarly, Patrick Lowry, CEO of Samara AG, says: shared his insights on X: “The Argentine Central Bank now has a Bitcoin mining exhibition in its halls. Central banks that embrace Bitcoin can survive. Those who do not will perish.”
At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $70,949.
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