« I'm richer than you! »

«I'm richer than you!» (IMRTY) is a social and artistic experiment.

In a world where the rich are getting richer, how much money are they prepared to spend to satisfy their ego?

The Rise of Ego-Driven Status Symbols

In today's digital age, the pursuit of status has evolved beyond traditional luxury goods. Platforms like «I'm Richer Than You» represent a new form of social currency where wealth is displayed not through possession but through payment.

This phenomenon reflects our society's increasing commodification of self-worth and social standing. The act of paying to be #1 isn't just about proving financial superiority—it's about asserting one's place in the social hierarchy.

Why People Pay to Be Rich

Psychological research suggests that people who pay to be rich on platforms like this are often driven by a desire for validation and recognition. The act of paying creates a sense of accomplishment and social dominance.

Moreover, these platforms tap into the human need for competition and status. In an increasingly connected world, being at the top of a list—whether it's the richest people in the world or the most popular on social media—provides a unique form of social capital.

The Economics of Ego

From an economic perspective, these platforms represent a fascinating case study in behavioral economics. The pricing mechanism (increasing by €1 each time) creates a psychological barrier that encourages continued participation.

Each payment is not just a transaction—it's a statement of intent and a commitment to maintaining one's position. The increasing price also serves as a natural filter, ensuring that only those with significant financial means can participate at higher levels.

A French artist with a blurred identity, Koraluxi embodies a new chapter in a multidisciplinary body of work that oscillates between social criticism and subversive aesthetics. After exhibiting under previous pseudonyms, this new alias marks a break: a project targeting the economic elite, where luxury, technology, and power intertwine to provoke reflection on the structural inequalities of our time.

Since 2007, Koraluxi has been exploring the limits of media — photography, 3D drawings, programming, electronics — with an “artistic hacking” approach: tinkering, transforming, circumventing the codes of the world to reveal its cracks. Here, luxury is not celebrated, but deconstructed: a collector's item becomes a tool for questioning, an algorithm, an electronic installation, a retouched image... each one is part of an approach where art is used to subvert systems, not to reproduce them.

With Koraluxi, art is no longer a passive reflection, but a lever. An invitation to see, to understand, to *change* — even if, sometimes, you first have to bend the rules to make them visible.