Art to Go: Portable Exhibition Pops Up Around Town

By Marisa Valentino

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed lots of challenges for the standard art gallery. Many remain closed or are canceling shows and even passionate aesthetes have their reservations about gathering in indoor spaces.

Fortunately for them, Sag Harbor based artist Brett Loving is bringing art to the people with his mobile art exhibition.

“[A gallery] doesn't have to be a very pristine room in a pretentious setting. I feel like art is much more than that,” said Loving in a recent interview.

So he decided to work with what was around him in a creative way. Loving had his art pieces, a 40-foot flatbed truck from Earth Works (the excavation company he owns) and a vision for a portable art exhibition.

Then he gathered a team of friends and employees to help with the project and set out to make the vision a reality. Using a blueprint drawn on a napkin, the group got to work creating the display from scratch. After five days of welding and wiring the exhibition was finished.

On the flatbed of the truck Loving’s art is displayed on what looks like the wall of a conventional art gallery. Currently shown are four pieces from his acrylic on canvas series inspired by the glacial caves he visited in Pemberton, British Columbia. Loving was awestruck by blue light refracted by the layers of ice. “It was like a whole other world,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_102373" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Portable art gallery at the beach. Emily Birds photo.[/caption]

Three of Loving’s sculptures are also shown on the mobile gallery. To make these pieces, Loving repurposes steel from demolition sites and paints them with vintage Ferrari automotive paint.

“They are representative of our independence and what we can do by recycling,” said Loving.

This portable exhibition is not the first time Loving has used construction equipment in an unexpected artistic way. He also uses a 42,000 lb. Volvo excavator to create all of his art pieces.

For his paintings a brush is attached to the excavator’s bucket. Using the controls Loving dips the brush into tubs of paint and glides it along the canvas. Then the brush is switched out with a glass panel. Paint is applied to this tool by hand. Next the panel is pressed to the canvas, flattening the surface and adding more colors.

Loving also uses the excavator to model and paint sculptures.

“This is the biggest art show I've ever had in my life and the most pieces I've ever shown at once,” said Loving. “It’s like, wow, I have like the whole gallery to myself over here. It's actually kind of kind of funny.”

Loving wants to ensure his artwork can be shown safely without drawing a big dense group of people. So the location of the exhibition is minimally advertised. Only a light message posted a few hours prior to the mobile gallery’s arrival is shared on Loving’s Instagram.

The exhibition’s first stop was Long Beach. It was a huge success as there were plenty of passersby who viewed the art and continued enjoying the beach instead of gathering, which is exactly what Loving had in mind. The exhibition has also made appearances in Sag Harbor Village and on the North Fork.

The portable art gallery is something Loving plans to continue long term. In the future he hopes to display works from other artists.

“A lot of people have actually been reaching out, expressing interest in showing on the wall and being a part of it,” said Loving who foresees the gallery traveling across the country and making stops in different cities.

Loving is always encouraging people to grow by thinking differently about their lives. He hopes this unique new way to show art can spark those kinds of thoughts. The portable art exhibition is not about selling art, he said, it’s about showcasing art.

In the meantime keep an eye out, the rolling exhibition may be making an appearance near you.