If you see U-Haul truck fleets filled with artworks across New York, it’s not a scam, it’s just the latest gallery and art fair models that can hit the city.
Last spring, in May 2024, James Sundquist and Jack Chase took the lead and set up the U-Haul Gallery, a commercial enterprise located in the less familiar mobile van. Sundquist is the founder and director of the gallery, while Chase serves as the curator. This fall, they will launch the fair with a similar spirit.
“The U-Haul Gallery is frustrated by the financial restrictions on displaying work in New York City,” Chase explained. Artnews In an email interview. Instead of paying thousands of dollars in indirect fees per month, the gallery uses a truck rental of $19.99 per day, as well as the cost of miles.
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Chase continues that this new type of space constitutes “an alternative to the contemporary exhibition format, which is more inclusive and accessible than its peers. The mobility of the gallery allows us to leverage the flow of people in established galleries and institutions, as well as work displayed in unconventional areas (sports events, parks, parks).
U-Haul Gallery replaces traditional brick-and-mortar stores, its luxury is that it does not require moving space because it is always moving. Inside, install white gallery walls using protective wooden railings found inside each truck. The power outlet in the dashboard runs other lights. Outside, swivel on the top of the truck, is a handheld plywood logo with the gallery logo.
As for the art, the two focused on installing “projects that are difficult to show in traditional galleries, mainly due to financial difficulties. We have the ability to risk the show in a traditional gallery environment, which is financially not feasible.”
For example, last fall, U-Haul Gallery hosted a pop-up show “Stolen Stuff” on artist and sculptor Victoria Gill, who saw the robbery imitated by Jill, Chase and Sandquist. Literally, it’s a series of stolen goods, including a bunch of black combs. The show’s submission was promoted through a public phone call on Instagram, some of which have been from previous iterations of the London project.
Rent prices in New York continue to rise due to recent cuts in broker fees and the Art Fair has collapsed amid a massive market change, and the tour model does not seem to be a bad choice. Those who wish to act had the opportunity to do so, when the duo launched the U-Haul Art Fair in September.
Chase added: “The U-Haul Art Fair is an opportunity to extend U-Haul’s unique strengths as an exhibition space to like-minded galleries and curators. This will allow us to expand our habits of working in public spaces and in manufacturing exhibition spaces.”
The U-Haul Art Fair is scheduled to be held at the same time as the Armory Show. It will take place from September 5 to 7 and includes 10 exhibitors, including galleries and independent curators, all stationed in U-Haul trucks near West Chelsea, New York.
“In the wave of retired old guard dealers, we believe that U-Haul Gallery has no better time. For us, the traditional white cube has already started courses. There is an appetite for new and vibrant forms of speech, especially in the capital of the world’s white cubes,” Chase said.
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