God of Money

By Karl Marx, Illustrated by Maguma 

Interpreted for the twenty-first century, God of Money is based on extracts from Karl Marx’s famous chapter on money, published in Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1844). Marx was a young man at the time, critical and defiant of an emergent world of rampant greed and consumption. Spanish illustrator Maguma recreates this celebrated rant against the mind-numbing power of money in the context of contemporary developments ― where the spread of avarice on a global scale has led to the near death of the commons. Drawing on the biblical tale of the Fall, Maguma creates a surreal world continually fueled by an insatiable desire for more.

Tara Books, 2017, hardcover with accordion foldout (offset-printed), 11 x 5.9 inches, 20 pages.

Tara Books is an award-winning, internationally-recognized independent publishing house made up of a collective of writers, designers and book artisans who favor a non-hierarchical mode of functioning, informed by feminism and other movements for social justice.

Founded in 1994 by Gita Wolf and based in Chennai, India, Tara Books runs its own print shop, employing over 25 bookmaking artisans on a fair-trade basis. Known for their handmade books, they use handmade paper and non-toxic inks to create numbered artists’ books, as well as art prints and unique stationery (we also carry their wonderful Flukebooks!)

They collaborate with a range of writers, artists and designers from lndia and elsewhere, and an integral part of their publishing is a pioneering engagement with the rich diversity of Indian folk and tribal art.

Maguma is the pseudonym for Spanish artist Marcos Guardiola Martín, who is based in Madrid and works for a growing number of publications, including dailies, weeklies and political journals across Europe and Latin America. Trained as an architect in Madrid, Maguma brings to his work a sense of space and surface that is unique.

Inspired by artists such as Moebius and Milano Manara, as well as the style of old adult Spanish comics, Maguma has developed a style that’s bright, tactile and surreal ― and which combines the qualities of pastel and gouache with the precision of screen-printed drawings. Maguma strives to give the work a tactile quality that invites the viewer to touch and feel his art. God of Money is Maguma’s first project with Tara Books.