Casa de Empeño is a group exhibition based conceptually on the function of a pawnshop and serves to examine current systems of economy, currency and exchange.

The entire 3,000 sqft of anonymous gallery re-designed to replicate a pawnshop environment. Based on the value of the artwork, the gallery provided unique opportunities for collectors to own distinctive works of art through sale, loan or even trade.

At any given time, pawnshops might have an inventory that includes jewelry, gold, coins, computers, cameras, radios, tools, musical instruments, DVD movies, cell phones, dj equipment, bikes, books, paintings, prints, weapons, clothes, furniture, and more. Casa de Empeño featured a compelling and diverse array of artists from all over the world who create relatable objects through painting, drawing, film, photography, sculpture, print, editions and design:

Sculptures reflecting hawked luxury accessories such as Shelter Serra’s Birkin Bags, intricate and unique jewelry design by artist Orly Genger, Jaclyn Mayer, and Sangre de mi Sangre, electronics and monitors displaying films from Kasper Sonne and David Ellis. Editions from Clayton Brothers, Todd James, Evan Gruzis, photographs from Richard Kern, and furniture design from Emmanuel Picault of Chic by Accident. The exhibition also featured a library of artist books, zines, magazines, posters, and museum catalogues for sale from artists such as Lucy Raven and institutions including MUAC, Centro de La Imagen, Museo de Arte Carillo Gil, La Colección Jumex, among others

In a typical pawnshop customers pledge property as collateral, and in return, pawnbrokers lend them money. When customers pay back the loan, their merchandise is returned to them. If the loan is not returned the pawnshop sells this property. Anonymous Gallery however, was providing several opportunities for its customers:

1) Purchase

a. Customers could purchase available inventory at the available retail price.

2) Trade

a. Customers could offer a provided service of equal or greater value in exchange for selected artwork.

b. Customers could offer another item of equal or greater value in exchange for valuable artwork.

3) Loan

a. Throughout the duration of the exhibition customers could loan and consign works of art to the gallery for sale at an agreed retail price.

b. Customers could borrow or rent artworks for a specified duration of time based on a fee established by the gallery and selected artist

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:  

Balam Bartolomé , Bartus Bartolome , Paola Beck , Chris Beckman , Katherine Bernhardt , Kadar Brock , Clayton Brothers , Melissa Brown , Marcos Castro , Alex Dorfsman , David Ellis , Erik Foss , Munro Galloway , Gabriela Galván , Orly Genger , Till Genger , Evan Gruzis , Maya Hayuk , Ryan Humphrey , Todd James , Matt Jones , Misaki Kawai , Richard Kern , Greg Lamarche , Matt Leines , Ilan Lieberman , Hayley McCulloch , Keegan McHargue , Chris Mendoza , Carlos Alvarez Montero , Edgar Orlaineta , Iker Ortiz , Diego Pérez , Pablo Power , Néstor Quiñones , Mösco , Lucy Raven , José Luis Sánchez Rull , Kasper Sonne , Bill Saylor , Kostas Seremetis , Shelter Serra , Dash Snow , Judith Supine , Chuck Webster , Andrew Jeffrey Wright , Romon Kimin Yang , Brenna Youngblood .