Many of us don't think of the dollar bill as more than a means of getting the things we want. Mark Wagner has the same thought, but he wants to make beautiful pieces of art out of of them. His collages, made completely out of dollar bills, are a more complicated take on the currency we toss around every day.

The video below from Avant Garde Diaries explores some of his creations and the reputation cutting up money has given him:

As mentioned in the video, his creations are restricted to issues that surround our currency—not necessarily for political reasons, as it may seem at first glance. While the division of wealth, issues of American identity and capitalism may not seem like the most interesting (or positive) of subjects, Wagner turns them into intricate scenes with multiple interpretations.

Wagner's dollar bill art has been featured in numerous places of honor including the Museum of Modern Art, The Walker Art Center, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, The Metropolitan Museum, The Getty Research Institute and The Brooklyn Museum. He is also the founder of the Booklyn Artists Alliance and a book publisher under the names Bird Brain Press and X-ing Books.

Via Colossal