The team's latest work, the ATM Leaderboard, is an ATM that displays the cash balance of everyone who uses it during an art exhibition. It ranks users with photos taken by an ATM camera based on the size of their bank accounts, like high scores in a classic arcade game.
According to MSCHF, the ATM ranking is currently topped by an individual with an account balance of $2.9 million. (In a video captured by a member of the ATM screen, a bearded man in a pink T-shirt stands next to a seven-figure sum; the time stamp shows the first Tuesday.)
The ATM Leaderboard, a new artwork from Brooklyn-based collective MSCHF, encourages Art Basel Miami Beach attendees to put their money where their mouth is. 1 credit
Where the art world gathers for a week of fairs, lavish parties and music festivals, Art Basel Miami Beach regularly sells for millions of dollars.
MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg told CNN in an email that the ATM leaderboard is a literal distillation of the desire to flaunt wealth. “From the beginning, we envisioned this business for a place like Miami Basel, where a lot of people rent Lamborghinis and wear Rolexes. Obviously, these are hidden gestures, similar to an ATM leaderboard.”
Hosting MSCHF's first exhibition in New York, Perrotin describes the group as "a conceptual group whose various interventions expose and exploit the absurdity of our cultural, political and monetary systems."
As for where the ATM might go next, Greenberg said it depends on who wants to buy or borrow one. After each exit, the high scores will continue on the leaderboard, which will definitely raise the stakes for future users.
"Thanks to the camera, the ATM keeps a continuous record of every person who uses it and every place where it is installed, so we hope to be able to take it even further," explained Greenberg.
If you have $3 million (or more) in cash in your bank account and want to let the world know, you can visit the Art Basel Miami Beach ATM until Saturday.