As I walk into The Hole, a 4000 square foot contemporary art gallery on the Bowery in New York City, I’m practically blinded by the naked white walls. The concept of this exhibit, a solo show of graffiti artist Jim Joe, is that it expands one day at a time in a line around the gallery, culminating in a closing party on January 31. Arriving on the second day means there are only two pieces on display, and a lot of empty walls.
If you're a fan of street art, or are perhaps just a resident of New York, you might have come across Jim Joe's archetypal tag, a highly legible and often peculiar message scribbled on the sides of dumpsters, subway stations, and brick walls. Think a triumphant "just did it" next to a deformed Nike swoosh, or a blunt “no sexting allowed” scrawled on the inside of a telephone booth.
This show is Jim Joe's first full solo exhibition for The Hole. And it’s fascinating mostly as an example of what happens when an artist who is used to quickly and illegally scribbling on public surfaces is suddenly presented with a classic space for exhibiting art––the white cube––as well as all the time in the world.
Have you ever gone to a contemporary art show with someone who exclaimed, “This is not art. Anyone could do that!”? Well, the first piece in Jim Joe's show is one of those works likely to provoke this exclamation. It’s a glass of water and a scratch card lotto ticket neatly placed on top of two white pedestals. That’s it. And yes, anyone could place those two objects on display and call them art, but here’s the thing: no one does, because it’s actually a pretty gutsy move. Two perfectly ordinary objects, a glass of water and a scratch card, both of them inviting action. I find myself wanting to take a sip of the water and clenching my fists to stop myself from scratching the ticket. Maybe Jim Joe wants me to act on my impulse? I think of older generations of performance artists who invited onlookers to be parts of their work. Perhaps the only thing standing between me and a million dollars is my hesitation in scratching that ticket!
Of course, because I am in a traditional gallery, I hold back. Still, the struggle in my head ignited by these seemingly ordinary objects is quite entertaining, and, likely, what Jim Joe was hoping for when he put them there in the first place.
Exhibition through January 31
![]()
The first piece in graffiti artist Jim Joe's solo show is composed of only a glass of water and a scratch card lotto ticket, neatly placed on top of two white pedestals.![]()
The show will expand one day at a time in a line around the gallery, culminating in a closing party on January 31. Because I arrived on day two, the only art in the gallery besides the lotto ticket and glass of water were two paintings made using stamps and ink.
![]()
![]()
An emp
If you're a fan of street art, or are perhaps just a resident of New York, you might have come across Jim Joe's archetypal tag, a highly legible and often peculiar message scribbled on the sides of dumpsters, subway stations, and brick walls. Think a triumphant "just did it" next to a deformed Nike swoosh, or a blunt “no sexting allowed” scrawled on the inside of a telephone booth.
This show is Jim Joe's first full solo exhibition for The Hole. And it’s fascinating mostly as an example of what happens when an artist who is used to quickly and illegally scribbling on public surfaces is suddenly presented with a classic space for exhibiting art––the white cube––as well as all the time in the world.
Have you ever gone to a contemporary art show with someone who exclaimed, “This is not art. Anyone could do that!”? Well, the first piece in Jim Joe's show is one of those works likely to provoke this exclamation. It’s a glass of water and a scratch card lotto ticket neatly placed on top of two white pedestals. That’s it. And yes, anyone could place those two objects on display and call them art, but here’s the thing: no one does, because it’s actually a pretty gutsy move. Two perfectly ordinary objects, a glass of water and a scratch card, both of them inviting action. I find myself wanting to take a sip of the water and clenching my fists to stop myself from scratching the ticket. Maybe Jim Joe wants me to act on my impulse? I think of older generations of performance artists who invited onlookers to be parts of their work. Perhaps the only thing standing between me and a million dollars is my hesitation in scratching that ticket!
Of course, because I am in a traditional gallery, I hold back. Still, the struggle in my head ignited by these seemingly ordinary objects is quite entertaining, and, likely, what Jim Joe was hoping for when he put them there in the first place.
Exhibition through January 31
THE HOLE
312 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
The first piece in graffiti artist Jim Joe's solo show is composed of only a glass of water and a scratch card lotto ticket, neatly placed on top of two white pedestals.
The show will expand one day at a time in a line around the gallery, culminating in a closing party on January 31. Because I arrived on day two, the only art in the gallery besides the lotto ticket and glass of water were two paintings made using stamps and ink.
An emp