Art, as they say, is subjective. Whether it’s Michelangelo’s David, or a painting of dogs playing poker, not everyone is going to enjoy the same things. What, you might ask, even makes something art? Is it just anything we choose to give that label?
A graphic designer named Malboury Jones seems to think so. When he was moved to a new office at his job, he was surprised to find a hole in the wall which showed exposed wiring and controls. Most people would have found the hole unsightly, and might have even hung a picture over it, but Jones had a better idea. He realized all the hole needed was to be viewed in the proper context.
We moved into new offices, but this wall has been left open for a few weeks now. I knew what I had to do. pic.twitter.com/kRQcqM4UDe
— Malboury Jones (@Malboury) February 26, 2018
“A daring interpretive piece, Exposed Wiring and Controls was part of a series of unfinished works made in the spring of 2018,” reads the plague Jones hung next to the hole.
Eventually, of course, someone came and patched over the hole, but Jones wasn’t going to let that spoil his fun. He simply retitled the piece “Blatant Patch Job.”
There was a development… pic.twitter.com/S8h1OrFasB
— Malboury Jones (@Malboury) February 27, 2018
“Prompted by earlier works in more challenging media, Blatant Patch Job is representative of a burgeoning ascetic uniformity in art that is both reactionary and ultimately conformist in nature,” reads the new plaque.
Of course, once people saw what Jones was up to, they wanted to get in on it. Soon he was getting requests to critique various “art” sent to him on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/TomScorza/status/968887783485001730
An insightful example of objet trouvé, 'Discarded Mattresses, Discarded Life' evokes Duchamp without necessarily endorsing him, and challenges the viewer to determine where the piece ends and the hedge begins. A trepidatious, but ultimately compelling effort.
— Malboury Jones (@Malboury) February 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/Dominic_Makin/status/969204041573191681
— Malboury Jones (@Malboury) March 1, 2018
Flip, courtesy of @Mythey pic.twitter.com/cCHdDmt4BQ
— Malboury Jones (@Malboury) March 1, 2018
Jones’ work can be an inspiration to all of us. Next time you see a pile of dirty laundry, or a fast food bag floating in the gutter, just change your perspective. Instead of seeing something ugly, think of it as a future masterpiece.