Micah Lexier: I Am the Coin

Micah Lexier: I Am the Coin (installation view detail, 2009): Courtesy the artist and the Bank of Montreal. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

Micah Lexier: I Am the Coin
BMO project room
Until November 30, 2010

Is Micah Lexier gunning for the title of busiest artist in Toronto? It seems that way, with a full exhibition schedule, as well as the production of a publication dedicated to almost three decades of multiples, books and other ephemera he’s created, on his plate this year. On view until November is, perhaps, Lexier’s most ambitious projects to date. Sponsored by the Bank of Montreal as part of their ongoing "BMO project room" contemporary art series (the first four projects have been selected; Lexier's is the second and, last year, work by Adad Hannah was featured), Lexier's installation consists of thousands of custom-made coins stamped with letters of the alphabet. What at first appears a random arrangement of letters turns out to be a story written by Toronto author Derek McCormack that is full of corny puns and maybe-true, maybe-not anecdotes about the people involved in the project. The story is narrated by one of the coins. A clue as to which coin is the ‘narrator’ is hidden within the installation, and the first 100 people to identify which is the ‘lucky coin’ win a mystery prize. (About 60 people, at the time of writing, had figured it out.) The BMO project room is located in the bank’s downtown Toronto headquarters, and viewing is by appointment only. For more information, visit www.iamthecoin.com.