New Money uses 100,000 LEGO bricks and $10,000 in cryptocurrencies to create mosaic pieces that question the value of art and money. A clever attendee can steal the cryptocurrency from the art by decoding the patterns.

New Money Tracker

Opening Reception Friday 3/23 from 7-10pm
Saturday + Sunday open from 12-6pm
5428 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016

Castelli Art Space is thrilled to announce a new solo exhibition by Andy Bauch. New Money will feature over a dozen works comprised of over 100,000 LEGO bricks, depicting everything from digitized abstractions to portraits of low wage workers who are in the process of being phased out by automation. The postinternet artwork is imbued with secret keys to bitcoin wallets, with initial values ranging between $20 and $90.

The central questions at the root of New Money are: “What is the value of art? And for that matter, what is the value of money?”

With cryptocurrency values on an up and down rollercoaster and arthouse auction sales breaking records even as federal funding is cut for programs, the answer to these questions have never been more uncertain. In New Money, the Bitcoins embedded in each piece provide poignant commentary on the ethereal and fragile value of both, with their prices fluctuating in tandem with the constantly shifting cryptocurrency market. And that's just assuming a clever viewer doesn't reverse-engineer the Bitcoin pattern embedded in each piece and use it to empty out the digital wallet of its value.

New Money will be on view from March 23 - March 25, 2018, with an opening reception on March 23  from 7pm - 10pm. Castelli Art Space is located at 5428 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016.

Works are available for purchase on Artsy.