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Since 1980, the Canadian artist Micah Lexier has produced an extensive body of work encompassing books, multiples, prints, paintings, installations, and a wide range of ephemera. Lexier’s frequent use of text brings to mind the work of Lawrence Weiner and On Kawara, but his projects often involve collaboration with other artists and elements of audience participation.

His latest installation, I Am the Coin, consists of 20,000 custom-made brass, zinc-plated coins, each imprinted with a letter and affixed to the wall in a grid. The coins are mounted upside-down in the top half of the installation, mirroring the bottom half that is mounted right-side-up. Taken together, the lettered discs in the lower half spell words, which tell the story of Lexier's long-time interest in coinage and the installation’s making. Written by Canadian author Derek McCormack, the pun-and-anagram-laden (but, punctuation-free) story is narrated by one of the coins, which refers to itself as "Sean Coinery" and discusses the trials and tribulations of being a piece of change. A clue as to this coin's location within the grid is hidden within the text. The first 100 viewers who identified the coin correctly on the project's Web site received a multiple by Lexier of a coin stamped with an I. In keeping with his interest in collaboration, Lexier also produced a limited-edition print with Toronto artist Ken Nicol and commissioned a painting of a pile of coins from Vancouver-based artist Neil Wedman. He also added to his inventory of ephemera by issuing a mass-produced poster.

I Am the Coin is the second in an ongoing series of commissions by the Bank of Montreal. The works are displayed for one year, and are viewable at the bank's downtown Toronto headquarters by appointment. New work by Montreal-based multimedia artist Luc Courchesne is slated for 2011.