Behind the Scenes - Deinstallation

We have officially taken down Pure Unadulterated Joy and have begun preparing for our next show! But before it is announced, we wanted to share some BTS, or “Behind the Scenes",” of what happens during this limbo stage of the exhibition design process! (If you’re interested to learn how the bigger picture comes together).

Where did all the art go?

Deinstallation and gallery repair is the transformation process that occurs after an exhibition closes. Brea Gallery has no permanent collection, meaning that we don’t store, own, or display the same art and objects year around. All of the art from our shows are borrowed and loaned from artists, and if they don’t sell, they are returned back (sometimes as quickly as after our closing reception!) Many local artists come with boxes and bubble-wrap and take their things home with them. Other times, we have to repackage the art and ship them back, as shown in the video below.

Each artwork is carefully taken down and evaluated for its condition; did anything move or change in its appearance? It is important to note any damage before the art travels, but if everything looks perfect, the artist can sign for their collection of their work and the art parts ways with the gallery. It’s always a bittersweet goodbye, but we know the art will be shared with more excited faces in the future.

What needs to be prepared?

There are many tedious steps that take place after the art is returned to the owner (or shipped to it’s next location) that galleries must execute in a timely manner. The first step we took was removing all the vinyl stickers, used for lettering and design, from the walls. Then we shift our focus to repairing the walls; all shelves are taken down and nails are removed. Once the walls are clear, the holes are then spackled over, left to dry, and sanded down. It might take a few layers to ensure there aren’t any divets, then afterwards we paint over those spots. And it sure takes lots… and lots… and lots of paint. Our goal is to “repair” the gallery back to its’ original clean slate, creating a new blank canvas for our next show. For the end of Pure Unadulterated Joy, we also needed to paint over artist Darel Carey’s mural in the back of the gallery.

If you look close enough, you may still be able to see the ghost of “Ultraviolet Wave on a String” by Carey.

Since the gallery is closed to the public, we also utilize this time to do some deep cleaning and inventory count for our gift shop. All of our products are accounted for and put away (as to not get them dirty and dusty from all the repair work). We also correspond a display window and interactive space with our exhibitions, so these areas are dusted down and wiped clean for what’s coming in next. It’s a lot of repairing and cleaning, but we want everything to look fresh for the next artwork heading into the gallery!

What’s coming up next?

Opening on Saturday, January 28 2023, Domestic Detritus will be exploring themes of memory, ruin, and the vestiges of domesticity. A sharp turn from light-heartedness of Pure Unadulterated Joy, this exhibition will delve into topics like contemporary social dynamics, shifting gender roles, and conversations about womanhood and human rights. While we don’t want to give too much away just yet, expect to be immersed into a multi-media, multi-sensory exhibition that feels hauntingly nostalgic and refreshingly new all at once.

Brea Gallery normally hosts four exhibitions a year, and while they seemingly appear out of thin air, many are conceptualized and planned months or years in advance. All of our shows are curated, or co-curated, by our director Heather Bowling. It starts with a concept: what ideas are we looking to explore, what kind of art are we hoping to show, what is the story of our next show? She then will contact artists, start drafting tedious legal paperwork, and new art makes its’ way into the gallery. Thus begins the next stage of our process: installation! Keep an eye out, as we may be revealing some more of our secrets in upcoming posts!

-Full video of our repair content is available on our Instagram-