If you see a fleet of U-Haul trucks filled with art around New York, it’s not a scam—it’s merely the latest gallery and art fair model to hit the city.
Last spring, in May 2024, James Sundquist and Jack Chase took matters in their own hands, establishing U-Haul Gallery, a commercial enterprise located inside the ever-familiar moving van. Sundquist is the gallery’s founder and director, while Chase serves as its curator. And this fall, they will launch a fair with a similar spirit.
“U-Haul Gallery was borne out of a frustration with the financial constraints of showing work in New York City,” Chase explained to ARTnews in an emailed interview. Instead of paying thousands in overhead costs each month, the gallery utilizes truck rentals as low as $19.99 a day, plus the cost of mileage.
This new kind of space, Chase continued, poses “an alternative to the contemporary exhibition format, one that is more inclusive and accessible than its peers. The mobility of the gallery allows us to capitalize on the foot traffic of established galleries and institutions, as well as show work in unconventional areas (sporting events, public parks).”
In lieu of the traditional brick-and-mortar, U-Haul Gallery has the luxury of never needing to move spaces because it is always on the move. Inside, white gallery walls are installed using the protective wooden railing found inside each truck. Additional lights are run from the power outlet in the dashboard. Outside, spinning on top of the truck, is a hand-stenciled plywood sign with the gallery’s logo.
As for the art, the pair focuses on mounting “projects that would be difficult to show in conventional galleries, primarily because of financial difficulties. With our low overhead and diversified revenue streams, we have the ability to take risks on shows that would not be financially feasible in a traditional gallery environment,” Chase said.
Last fall, for example, U-Haul gallery staged the pop-up performance “Show of Stolen Goods” by artist and sculptor Victoria Gill, which saw Gill, Chase, and Sundquist mimic a heist of sorts. On view was quite literally a selection of stolen goods, including a trove of black combs. Submissions for the show were advertised through an open call on Instagram, with a few objects having already been sourced from a previous iteration of the project in London.
As broker fees were recently slashed and New York rent prices continue to rise, and art fairs fall flat amid major market shifts, the roving model doesn’t seem like such a bad alternative. Those wishing to get in on the action have a chance to do so when the duo launches the U-Haul Art Fair in September.
“The U-Haul Art Fair is an opportunity to extend the unique advantages of the U-Haul as an exhibition space to like-minded galleries and curators. It will allow us to amplify our habit of working within public space and manufacturing exhibition space,” added Chase.
The U-Haul Art Fair is slated to take place concurrently with Armory Show. Running September 5–7, it will feature 10 exhibitors, comprising galleries and independent curators, who will all be stationed in U-Haul trucks in New York’s West Chelsea neighborhood.
“Bearing witness to the wave of retiring old-guard dealers, we believe there is no better time for the U-Haul Gallery. To us, the traditional white cube has run its course. There is an appetite for new and energetic forms of presentation, especially in the white cube capital of the world,” Chase said.
