Loiter Galleries celebrates opening of new space with exhibit by Matthew Beehler

Loiter Galleries is celebrating the opening of its new location with a collection of work by artist Matthew Beehler in the exhibit B.Yond The Mask.

“It’s amazing, amazing stuff,” said Loiter Galleries co-founder Monica Fleming. “And we felt like it was the perfect season-opener because it’s big works, it’s conversational works, it’s colorful work. It’s powerful.” 

According to co-founder Vinny Picardi, B.Yond The Mask features 20 works of art by Beehler, who has a background as an artist, urban designer and landscape artist.

Beehler’s work includes large abstract expressionist paintings that resemble a jumble of human figures and faces.

“B.Yond the Mask is the artist’s vision of his two years living in the virtual isolation of the pandemic: A time when people cried out for togetherness, yet were forced by circumstance to remain isolated,” Loiter Galleries posted on social media. “His feelings and emotions are dramatically demonstrated in series of bold, brightly colored, larger than life-sized acrylic paintings.”

Picardi said Beehler is more well known than most of the artists showcased at Loiter Galleries, which focuses on eliminating the barriers artists face when looking for a place to exhibit their work.

“We’re artists and we’ve been through this all and we’ve gone through the whole process of trying to get into galleries and the stringent process […] It’s very political and it’s not real open to diversity,” Fleming said.

Loiter Galleries was founded in 2018 by Fleming and Picardi, who have known each other for almost 20 years.

“We just wanted to kind of deconstruct the whole gallery model and make it a little bit easier and more accepting for everybody,” Fleming said.

Loiter Galleries is now at its third location, located at 425 N The Promenade, around the corner from its previous location.

Picardi said when their previous property changed ownership they thought they’d have to convince their new landlord to let them stay. But the new property owner wanted Loiter Galleries to stay in the area, and requested that it move to a different location around the block, less than a minute away from their previous location.

“We bring art into vacant spaces,” Picardi said. “That’s our business model. And that’s why landlords like us as well, because we bring life and activity and color, literally, to […] dark spaces.” 

Loiter Galleries is located at 425 N The Promenade and is open 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.