The photographs in ‘The Color of Money and Trees’ were made by Dutch photographer Tony Dočekal during several visits to Arizona and California. While volunteering for an organisation working with the unhoused, she encountered many who live on the margins of society—either by necessity or choice—and began to question the pursuits of success and the value of American Dream. The Color of Money and Trees takes the form of a diaristic fable and the photographs are interspersed with Dočekal’s diary entries alongside quotes from those she met along the way.

“The work explores the tension between material success and deeper fulfilment, asking if true prosperity lies in community and self-awareness rather than wealth and possessions.”

The book’s title references the colour green symbolising both luck and nature whilst simultaneously associated with wealth and jealousy. Images of dollar bills are scattered throughout the book alongside those depicting nature, signage and slogans, talismanic objects and an everchanging cast of characters. The book’s non-linear sequence follows a fictional, unspecified journey along highways and through small towns and motel rooms with figures disappearing out of windows and behind curtains. The quotes included in the book hint that each portrait and location have a story with narrative continuing beyond frame. Although the photographs are rooted in the American West, the book represents universal themes.