Meeting JimJoe: NYC's Elusive Graffiti Artist
My encounter with the man behind the tags
The first thing he said as he took the podium was, “No pictures, please,” and the audience complied. I was at the New York Public Library to hear JimJoe speak about his fellowship using the library’s famous picture collection. I overheard someone in the front row say, “he’s going to show his face,” in a whisper loud enough to be heard from my seat in the third row. The room was abuzz with excitement.
I first discovered JimJoe in 2010, during a time in my life when I had turned to photography to heal from pain. At the suggestion of my then-spiritual life coach, Penelope, I began a practice where I took a photo a day for a year. That project forced me to observe my surroundings differently. I noticed activity on the street I had never actually seen before.
Scrawls and stickers covered lamp posts and door frames. I realized there was a conversation happening on the streets between graffiti artists—one that had been there all along but I had never paid any attention to. I wanted to learn more and began sharing photos of the pictures I found on my new Instagram account. Through social media, I met a group of guys who operated a now-defunct blog called Cult of Joe, which was dedicated to documenting JimJoe’s marks and trying to figure out the mystery of who was behind them. Naturally, JimJoe wasn’t happy with a website documenting his illegal acts and posting information about his real-life identity. The cult members had emailed what they thought was JimJoe’s email account several times but never heard back. One day, they got an email that asked them to please stop. Eventually, they did.
JimJoe himself is a very private person. He keeps his identity hidden for good reason. He’s had several run-ins with the law and even referenced his lawyer during his talk. He shared several photos of himself during his presentation, but each one was “redacted” with white-out like this:
Around 2011, you couldn’t walk more than a block of the East Village without seeing his tags. I was impressed by his dedication. As the years have gone by, I have continued to be surprised and delighted when I come across one of his tags. Last year, I was walking in our neighborhood when I noticed some newly erected street barriers. I posted it with the caption, “These days, finding a JimJoe (especially one that’s not downtown) is a bit like finding the treasure in a scavenger hunt!”
I was eager to learn more about his practice and the human behind the handwriting. His talk was ostensibly about his fellowship, where he, like many artists before him, turned to photography to inspire their artwork. JimJoe shared several projects he did at the library, including a series of sketches produced on library call slips. To me, the use of the call slips was reminiscent of the street art scene and how artists use the free post office labels to make their mark all over the city.
He spoke about an exhibition he mounted in the tower of the Jefferson Market Library and how he gained access to it via the library curator. Graffiti artists are notorious for getting up in hard-to-access places, so it was no surprise he was drawn to this off-limits space to exhibit his work.
Although JimJoe has produced art for musicians including Drake and Kanye West and collaborated on clothing and artwork with late designer Virgil Abloh, I sensed that, like many artists, money was hard to come by. He shared a sketch he drew of a Buddha jumping the subway turnstile called “Buddha Evades Fare,” admitting the drawing was inspired by the picture collection and an act he regularly engaged in. JimJoe spoke about how the works he created during his fellowship came 100% from materials he found at the library–from the call slips to sanitizing wipes, every free or discarded object became his canvas.
I had always suspected JimJoe was in love with NYC and eager to integrate himself into the city's fabric, no matter how ephemeral his marks may be. His talk confirmed my suspicions. He taught me several things about the city that I didn’t know. I was aware that the library and Bryant Park were built on the site of the Croton Reservoir. I didn't know that you could see the original granite walls of the reservoir peeking out beneath the cafe on the 1st floor. Now I do. I knew that the lions that guard the main entrance were named Patience and Fortitude, but I didn’t know that a group of vocal New Yorkers felt that the lions should have been beavers since the co-founder of the library, John Astor, had made his fortune selling beaver pelts.
You can view JimJoe’s original drawings on call slips in the Rose Reading Room of the library. To see them, go through the first room, make a left, and walk to the back of the second room, where they are displayed under a glass vitrine. I haven’t yet been to his show at Entrance Gallery on the Lower East Side, but it’s open till October 5th, so I’ll be stopping in soon. The artwork in the show is shown in frames inspired by molding on the panels on the library walls. I suspect if he could have, he might have pulled the molding off the wall and handed it to his framer.
When the talk wrapped up, I half-expected the NYPD to be waiting outside the room (like the Boston police who arrested Shepard Fairey as he arrived at his show at ICA). Yet, once again, JimJoe succeeded at keeping himself under the radar.
Through the years, I’ve taken many photos of JimJoe’s work. You can see a selection of them here.
Words of the Week
“I’m a nocturnal creature. Library hours were a limitation and I found tension and energy in the boundaries. Too much freedom can equal chaos.” —JimJoe
Photo of the Week:
In 2012, I was driving down Highway 1 in California and stopped at a scenic overlook. I was surprised to find a JimJoe on the guardrail.
Marathon Fundraising: Running for a Cause
I'll be running the NYC marathon this November in support of Resolve.org, the National Infertility Association. They are working hard to protect access to IVF. I'm thrilled to share that I've raised nearly $2300 of my $3500 goal. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have donated—and extra thanks to those who donated in the past week: Amy, Julie, Sora, Gina, Deena, and Lina. Wow, that rhymed!
Please share my fundraising page on social media or with friends and consider donating if you haven’t already. Your donations don't just help me reach my marathon goal—they contribute to Resolve.org’s crucial work in advocating for family-building rights, especially at this critical time when IVF access is under attack.
Thank you for your invaluable support. Your contributions, whether financial or through spreading the word, are deeply appreciated and every dollar makes a difference.
I love the photos of JimJoe’s work. Thank you Lia. 💕💕