The Money Game
(aka The Eagle Flies on Friday)
(tag 554)
A Rolling Conundrum
2013
Assemblage (50” x 22.5” x 14.25”)
- eagle flagpole topper
- photograph taken by "Bruce of Hollywood"
- cash register drawer and wood coin holder insert
- small desk calendar
- rolling table
Artist description:
Starting at an early age, boys in the US are trained to be competitive. In school, boys are encouraged to play sports and compete in physical and mental activities. Indeed, PE is a scheduled part of the day in most schools. Competitive games establish winners and “losers.” Competition has fueled human progress and failure. Capitalism is a very competitive game about money, with the extent of the accumulation of money suggesting a male’s dominance/potency.
Here we see competition represented by men wrestling, and the action takes place inside a vintage wood cash drawer. On top sits an eagle, which is a symbol of freedom. However the eagle is also a bird of prey. There was a popular saying from the 1920s – 50s “The Eagle flies on Friday” which reflected the fact that most workers in the USA were paid on Friday….during a time when the 25 cent and 50 cent US coins, as well as the dollar denominated gold coins, featured an eagle. With the use of the calendar and placing it in the foreground, D’Elia is commenting that men seduced by ‘the money game’ may sadly realize later in life the spiritual cost of the game, in that they failed to devote enough quality time, energy and focus to develop and maintain meaningful loving life-affirming relationships.
