
$1,700
This work juxtaposes an image of Pope John XXIII engraved on a Vatican coin with Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi (Latin for “Savior of the World”), which sold at a Christie’s auction in 2017 for approximately $450 million. The portrait of the figure who led church reform overlaps with the image named “Savior of the World,” creating a collision between religion and capital, faith and ownership. Here, the face of Jesus appears not as a symbol of devotion, but as an icon of capital, carrying the title of the most expensive artwork in history. The coin signifies the authority of materiality, while the painting reveals the sanctity of the market, visually exposing a dual system of belief. The work poses the question: “What is sacred, and what is for sale?”
Artwork details+
- Medium
- Pigment Print and UV Print
- Size
- 80 cm x 80 cm x 5 cm
- Year
- 2026
- Signature
- Signed and numbered on verso
- Framing
- 83 cm x 83 cm x 5 cm
- Edition
- 1/5
- Certificate
- Certificate of Authenticity issued by the gallery
Shipping & taxes+
- Ships from the gallery's location (set per work, defaults to the gallery address)
- Cost calculated at checkout by destination
- Optional full insurance in transit
- Usually ships within 10 business days, fine-art packed
- In-person pickup available for some works (no shipping fee)
- Listed price may include VAT applicable in the seller's country or the work's place of shipment
- Duties, import VAT/GST, customs fees, and other taxes in the buyer's country are not included and are the buyer's responsibility
- These are assessed by the destination customs authority and billed separately by the carrier
- Sales tax may be added at checkout depending on jurisdiction

I begin my work by examining the surface of worn coins, an act that calls forth forgotten civilizations rather than mere observation. Using optical and electron microscopes, I extend microscopic surfaces beyond the limits of the naked eye and translate them into visual language, juxtaposing additional images onto the metal. The microscopes are not merely tools of magnification but devices that transform perception. I no longer see coins as currency, but as material records where power, belief, and identity are compressed, their cracks and textures revealing layers of time and history. I overlay these surfaces with newspaper articles, film scenes, and symbolic objects, allowing images from different eras to collide and intersect within a single frame. For me, magnification is both a physical expansion and a metaphorical leap toward deeper perception, where scientific visuality and imagination coexist. Ultimately, this work uses technology to reveal the unseen and question what is recorded or erased, turning the coin into a canvas for lost voices.
Go to artist page →
SEJI GALLERY, located in Bukchon, Jongno, continues the historical context of Gye-dong's unique culture and art, realizing the value of contemporary art and seeking a new direction for exhibition planning. We run exhibitions that can attract more widespread attention by artists, and we want to create meaningful contacts between artists and visitors. We believe that appreciation of the impact of works on us is important, and we introduce works that present various perspectives. It is a gallery that spreads the positive role of art so that visitors can sympathize with it with a rich perspective in understanding the works, and contributes to more people enjoying valuable works.
Go to gallery page →$1,700
This work juxtaposes an image of Pope John XXIII engraved on a Vatican coin with Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi (Latin for “Savior of the World”), which sold at a Christie’s auction in 2017 for approximately $450 million. The portrait of the figure who led church reform overlaps with the image named “Savior of the World,” creating a collision between religion and capital, faith and ownership. Here, the face of Jesus appears not as a symbol of devotion, but as an icon of capital, carrying the title of the most expensive artwork in history. The coin signifies the authority of materiality, while the painting reveals the sanctity of the market, visually exposing a dual system of belief. The work poses the question: “What is sacred, and what is for sale?”
Artwork details+
- Medium
- Pigment Print and UV Print
- Size
- 80 cm x 80 cm x 5 cm
- Year
- 2026
- Signature
- Signed and numbered on verso
- Framing
- 83 cm x 83 cm x 5 cm
- Edition
- 1/5
- Certificate
- Certificate of Authenticity issued by the gallery
Shipping & taxes+
- Ships from the gallery's location (set per work, defaults to the gallery address)
- Cost calculated at checkout by destination
- Optional full insurance in transit
- Usually ships within 10 business days, fine-art packed
- In-person pickup available for some works (no shipping fee)
- Listed price may include VAT applicable in the seller's country or the work's place of shipment
- Duties, import VAT/GST, customs fees, and other taxes in the buyer's country are not included and are the buyer's responsibility
- These are assessed by the destination customs authority and billed separately by the carrier
- Sales tax may be added at checkout depending on jurisdiction
$1,700

