Two-page unpaid invoice with envelope.

Year: 2026
Technique: Gold, felt-tip pen, linseed oil

This UBD is part of the ongoing TAROT — Pentacles Series. Every morning during my childhood, my mother used to drink her coffee and read the tarot cards. The motif on this UBD comes from the tarot deck she used. As I learned from her how to handle money, you can imagine how money was handled in our house back then. As a successful freelance fashion designer, she would sometimes earn huge amounts of money, but then spend them immediately on unpaid bills, horses for her daughter and alcohol excesses. Whenever a tarot card from the Pentacles series came up, the house was filled with hope that money would come soon. So, I decided to draw the whole series on my unpaid bills. This UBD shows the King of Pentacles.

The invoice of this UBD is from the Künstlersozialkasse, the German social insurance system for artists, writers and musicians. The so-called KSK covers roughly half of the contributions for health insurance and the statutory pension scheme. Very important for every freelance artist. It is very hard to get in, hard to stay in, and quite easy to get kicked out...