Whole in Wall Opening Recap

Helenbeck Gallery attracted quite a crowd on Thursday night for the opening of Whole in the Wall– billed as “The largest American & European Street Art Exhibition in New York”– drawing a diverse group of artists, collectors, gallerists and other interested parties from both sides of the Atlantic to a massive space in the northernmost reaches of Chelsea, near the tourist wasteland of Times Square. Nevertheless, the gallery accommodated the work quite well; my only major complaint concerns the lighting, which included strangely positioned spotlights that cast inconvenient shadows.

Technical difficulties aside, Whole in the Wall showcases a veritable who’s who of graffiti artists from the past 30+ years and it is simply remarkable to see how original the work still looks, even on canvas instead of brick and mortar. While the press release acknowledges the transposition of the artists’ signature styles from the public domain to the gallery setting–”this odyssey has traveled from the streets to the canvas”– one cannot help but wonder if the work would look better in its natural environment. In this respect, the show is like seeing wild animals in captivity: I am certainly glad that this exhibition presents the opportunity to see work by these artists, but it can never recreate the impact of encountering the work on its own terms.

Meanwhile, photos by Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, Silvio Magaglio and Jamel Shabazz express a nostalgic reverence for the 80’s, amplifying the sensation of distance while suggesting that the works on canvas are indeed a relevant echo of those earlier times, in keeping with exhibition’s aim to affirm the legitimacy of graffiti in the canon of contemporary art.

In any case, this show is a must-see for anyone who has the chance to get to the New York in the next month or so.

Whole in the Wall
Through June 28th at
Helenbeck Gallery
529-535 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001

Text & Photography: Raymond Hu