ARTnews

Alexis Rockman at the U-Haul Gallery

Alexis Rockman staged a pop‑up exhibition outside the Whitney Museum, using a U‑Haul truck to showcase his new painting, “Labraa Tarpits,” as part of an Earth Day protest. The unconventional venue turns the moving truck into a traveling gallery, echoing historic 19th‑century “event paintings” that toured the nation on railroads. Rockman explains that the piece recreates an Ice Age landscape, featuring a mammoth carcass, saber‑tooth cats, and extinct giant birds of prey. He deliberately incorporated real tar into the canvas to evoke the fossilized texture of ancient remains, lending the work a tactile sense of authenticity. The installation is framed as a modern “time machine,” inviting viewers to confront a world lost to climate shifts. “Imagine Albert Bierstadt on a railroad,” Rockman quipped, highlighting the lineage of spectacle art. He lamented his generation’s failure to curb environmental damage, noting that at 63 he feels the burden now rests on younger activists like Jack Chase and the U‑Haul Gallery team. The vivid depiction of extinct species serves as a stark visual metaphor for today’s endangered ecosystems. By merging performance, history, and ecological warning, Rockman’s mobile exhibit amplifies climate discourse beyond traditional museum walls. It demonstrates how artists can repurpose everyday logistics—like a moving truck—to create immersive, activist experiences that pressure policymakers and inspire public action.