J is for Jim Joe! Yet another pin in Jim Joe’s subway map: this tag was found on the J train platform at the Chambers Street station. There are only a few stations left on the J train (from Manhattan through several stops into Brooklyn) where we have not seen his work.
In case you have not read the story of Jim Joe, here it is: This is Jim Joe.
Update: Jim Joe has also hit up Bowery, another stop on the J train, within the past few days.
Photo: Vinney Cavallo
WHO THE HELL IS JIM JOE?
Jim Joe is a graffiti artist, currently hyperactive in New York City. He has made quite a name for himself with his simple, sometimes humorous writings, especially in the Lower East Side and East Village, where his tag is ubiquitous. He first caught the attention of Subway Art Blog in February for hitting up the Essex Street station on the J train. This is our Jim Joe artist profile, which is a culmination of six months of obsessively following his work in the subway and beyond.
MEET JIM JOE
Here is what we know about him:
He is a he. We can confirm this through folks who have seen him. A few Animal NYC readers have seen him in action and commented about it in one of Animal’s articles.
via BruceLabounty802's Flickr
One commenter said: “I SAW HIM! I was on 16th an 7th ave, he wrote, ‘My friends think I’m a fool, my friends think I’m a fool- Jim Joe’ in silver marker on a discarded couch. Then he took a picture of it and walked away.”
Another said: “I saw Jim Joe on Bleeker and Jones a few weeks ago and knew it was him after he wrote on a US Postal Service Mailbox. It was one of the best moments of my life. I took a picture of him with my cell phone. It was kind of like a celebrity siting but better because only special New Yorkers know of him. AMAZING.”
According to The Link Newspaper of Canada, Jim Joe is originally from Montreal and attended McGill University; he was featured in the Fall 2009 issue of McGill’s art magazine, Folio, in his fourth year.
He became active in New York sometime around early 2010 and has graced objects with his tag at least as far north as Columbus Circle, and as far out in Brooklyn as Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant. His canvas of choice, though, seems to be the southeast area of Manhattan.
Jim Joe is unlike most graffiti artists, not only due to his style and artistic influences, but also because he has a website, a blog, a Twitter account and a publicly known e-mail address.
MUCH MUCH MORE AFTER THE JUMP
Some upstanding citizen has taken it upon themselves to draw these adorable little ‘staches on ads all across the subway system. We call him or her the Moustache Madcap. Judging by how many of these we’ve seen so far, you will see plenty more on Subway Art Blog in the near future. Send your photos in!
If you’ve been around Manhattan recently you have likely seen his work. Taggings by Jim Joe have been springing up all over. I took these just yesterday at the Essex Street station on the JMZ line. Apparently, he has a website: JIM JOE.
I woke up to some wet tags this morning at the Kosciuszko Street stop on the J train. Lo and behold, I ran into the same tag again at the end of my day at the Myrtle Avenue station. It’s some of the most interesting, freshest subway graffiti I’ve seen in a while and I believe it is well worth sharing. Besides, the commentary on Valentine’s Day is pretty funny. Check out the rest of the photos bellow.
Update: The tags are already gone. I spotted this MTA worker painting the walls this morning. The writer’s tag appears to be BAK.
Illustrious graffiti artist and fellow New Yorker, Eric Haze has just released a new website featuring artwork spanning nearly 30 years of his career. The “Roots” section is of particular interest to us as it includes an entire subsection of his early subway graffiti works. It is truly a blast from the past seeing all of these old school trains, outfitted in intricate, large-scale graffiti.
Check out additional subway graffiti and troves more of Haze’s work at Interhaze. more…
The Subway Art Blog turns one today. It’s been a crazy awesome year. The site started as a place for me to post my stupid cell phone photos and it seems to be starting to flourish as a hub for subway art on the web. Thanks to everyone who has contributed and has taken an interest in this project!
Photo taken from the F train platform at Delancey St.
I’m not sure who has the time to make a rubber stamp to point out the savagery of “smacking your gum on the subway,” but apparently one Willamsburg local has a pretty good idea. The hipster inundation is understandably frustrating, especially when you can’t read a subway service advisory without seeing some “witty” hipsteresque wordplay. Spotted on the J train platform at Marcy Ave.
