Joey Skaggs (born 1945) is an American multi-media artist, activist, satirist, and educator. His work spans a range of media, including painting, sculpture, guerrilla theater, performance art, films, and media pranks, often in the form of socially revealing hoaxes. He is regarded as one of the originators of culture jamming.
Career Joey Skaggs, originally trained as a painter and sculptor, started producing performance art in the 1960s, using public spaces and mass media to present his work. His projects often include elements of guerrilla theater, satire, and hoaxes, and involve themes such as societal norms, media sensationalism, and institutional influence.
Films In 2017, the feature documentary Art of the Prank, directed by Andrea Marini, about artist Joey Skaggs, was released internationally on television and streaming platforms after screening at film festivals.
In 2020, production began on a series of short oral history films titled Joey Skaggs Satire and Art Activism, 1960s to the Present and Beyond. The films document Skaggs’ art and satirical performances.
Partial works
1960s and 1970s
Crucifixion In the late 1960s, Skaggs created a life-size sculpture depicting a decayed Jesus Christ. The work was displayed in Tompkins Square Park and was later exhibited in 1967 at New York University and at two Central Park Be-ins. In 1969, a duplicate of the sculpture was brought to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where entry was denied by church officials and the individual was removed by police.
Hippie Bus Tour to Queens In 1968, Skaggs organized an event in which a group of approximately 60 individuals from the East Village traveled to suburban Queens. The event involved figures including Paul Krassner and Yayoi Kusama, who painted polka dots on nude dancers during the performance. The event received media coverage, including an appearance by Skaggs on the Today, a front-page article in the New York Daily News, and reporting in The New York Times and other publications.
Vietnamese Christmas Nativity Burning Skaggs organized a protest against the Vietnam War on Christmas Day, creating a life-size Nativity scene in Central Park. The display included a manger and papier-mâché figures, such as pigs wearing police hats, sheep holding briefcases, and a camel representing Hubert Humphrey. It also included representations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. as beheaded wise men, along with a Vietnamese baby Jesus and figures representing Mary and Joseph. Skaggs and other participants, dressed as American soldiers, attempted to set fire to the display, but authorities intervened. The event was reported in The New York Times under the headline "Yippie ‘Nativity Scene’ Leads to Tickets for Littering."
Earlville Opera House In 1971, while living on a dairy farm in central New York, Skaggs became aware of the Earlville Opera House, a building constructed in 1892 that was slated for demolition. Skaggs subsequently purchased the building and participated in efforts to preserve it. The opera house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a performance and exhibition venue. It marked its 50th anniversary as a cultural center in 2022.
Cathouse for Dogs The "Cathouse for Dogs" has been described as an early media hoax associated with Skaggs. In 1976, Skaggs placed an advertisement in The Village Voice promoting a service described as a "Cathouse for Dogs," stating that pet owners could pay a fee for their animals. Following media interest, an event involving volunteers and dogs was staged, and video footage was later provided to WABC-TV. The footage was incorporated into the documentary It’s A Dog’s Life, which addressed animal welfare issues and received an Emmy Award.
Skaggs was subsequently subpoenaed by the New York State Attorney General's office in connection with the incident. During the hearing, the event was described as a hoax. No correction was issued by WABC-TV.
Celebrity Sperm Bank Later in 1976, under the alias Giuseppe Scaggoli, Skaggs announced an auction for a fictitious "Celebrity Sperm Bank," claiming to offer sperm from rock stars such as Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon. On the day of the supposed event, Skaggs staged a scene outside a brownstone on Waverly Place in New York City, featuring actors posing as bidders and protesters. When the media arrived, Skaggs claimed the sperm had been stolen and read a ransom note that humorously referenced activist Abbie Hoffman. Despite the event not occurring as advertised, it attracted significant media attention in both print and broadcast news.
1980s and 1990s
Metamorphosis, Cockroach Miracle Cure In 1981, Skaggs orchestrated the "Metamorphosis Cockroach Miracle Cure" hoax to critique the media's susceptibility to sensational stories. Using the alias Dr. Josef Gregor—an allusion to Gregor Samsa, the protagonist in Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis—Skaggs held a press conference dressed in a white suit and Panama hat adorned with fake cockroaches. He claimed to have developed a "miracle cure" derived from hormones extracted from super-roaches immune to toxins, asserting it could treat conditions such as acne, anemia, and radiation exposure. Accompanied by friends, colleagues, and students from the School of Visual Arts, Skaggs offered the cure "freely to the world." Despite overt references to Kafka's story, the clues went unnoticed and the claim was widely reported, including by UPI.
Skaggs, in character as Dr. Gregor, appeared on WNBC-TV's Live at Five, where he was interviewed about the discovery. Media outlets, including People and The Wall Street Journal, later exposed the hoax, though WNBC-TV did not issue a retraction.
Fish Condos In 1983, Skaggs created "Fish Condos," a series of aquatic sculptures designed to resemble domestic interior spaces, including bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, and kitchens. The works functioned as aquariums.
The sculptures have been described as addressing themes such as gentrification in New York City and environmental issues. "Fish Condos" received media coverage in publications including New York Magazine and Life, as well as in the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. They were also featured on television and exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.
Bad Guys Talent Management Agency In 1984, Skaggs created a project referred to as the "Bad Guys Talent Management Agency." The agency was presented as representing "bad guys, bad girls, bad kids, and bad dogs" and was associated with an effort to promote actor Verne Williams. As part of the project, a mock Federal Bureau of Investigation wanted poster was used as a headshot and distributed to casting agents in New York City.
Williams subsequently obtained a role in the film The Last Dragon, produced by Berry Gordy. The project received media coverage, including in People, and generated responses from individuals seeking representation.
The Fat Squad In 1986, Skaggs, using the alias Joe Bones, created a project referred to as the "Fat Squad," presented as an organization offering to enforce clients’ diets for a daily fee with a minimum service period. The group was described as monitoring clients and preventing them from deviating from prescribed diets, and was associated with the motto, "You can hire us, but you cannot fire us. Our commandos take no bribes."
The project received media coverage, including a segment on Good Morning America, which featured a staged scenario involving a client and individuals identified as "commandos" guarding a refrigerator.
April Fool’s Day Parade In 1986, Skaggs announced the creation of the "Annual New York City April Fools’ Day Parade," a satirical event publicized through recurring press releases. The parade has been described as featuring floats and performers depicting political figures and social issues. According to the press materials, the route begins at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street and ends at Washington Square Park, where a "King of Fools" is crowned.
Comacocoon and Hair Today, Ltd. In 1990, Skaggs orchestrated two simultaneous hoaxes, "Comacocoon" and "Hair Today, Ltd." "Comacocoon" was presented as a company offering a vacation alternative involving anesthesiology and subliminal programming, claiming to provide benefits such as relaxation, weight loss, and elective surgery. "Hair Today, Ltd." purported to offer total scalp transplants using donor cadavers. Promotional materials for both fictitious companies were designed to resemble genuine advertisements and were sent exclusively to journalists. The exaggerated claims were intended to attract media attention. After both campaigns generated coverage and Comacocoon received a subpoena from the Department of Consumer Affairs with 17 charges related to the company's claims, Skaggs revealed them as hoaxes.
Portofess In July 1992, Skaggs, using the alias Father Anthony Joseph, an Anglican priest from California, pedaled "Portofess," a portable confessional booth mounted on a tricycle to the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The manifesto he handed out declared "Religion on the move for people on the go" and said, "The church must go where the sinners are."
SEXONIX In the fall of 1993, Skaggs, using the alias Dr. Joseph Skaggs, announced the launch of "SEXONIX," a purported virtual reality company claiming to turn sexual fantasies into immersive virtual experiences. Skaggs announced the company would debut at the Metro Toronto Christmas Gift and Invention Show but, just before it did, he alleged that Canadian customs had seized the equipment at the border, labeling it morally offensive. Taking the hoax into cyberspace, Skaggs posted messages on electronic bulletin boards in New York and San Francisco (early precursors to social media platforms), asking for public assistance in retrieving the equipment. The hoax attracted media attention in both Canada and the U.S. and has been described as one of the earliest documented internet hoaxes, illustrating the potential for disinformation in the emerging digital age.
Maqdananda Psychic Attorney Skaggs created a 30-second television commercial featuring Maqdananda, a new-age psychic attorney who claimed he could predict outcomes for his clients. Offering services like psychic surgery malpractice and renegotiating past-life contracts, the ad aired on CNN Headline News across the Hawaiian Islands. Callers to 1-808-UCA-DADA were met with the message, "I knew you’d call."
Dog Meat Soup In 1994, Skaggs, posing as Kim Yung Soo, the head of a fictional Korean company called Kea So Joo, Inc. (purportedly translating to "dog meat soup with alcohol" in Korean), launched a hoax titled "Dog Meat Soup." Skaggs claimed the company was offering to buy unwanted dogs from shelters for $0.10 per pound for human consumption. Despite never directly responding to any inquiries, reports emerged alleging conversations with company representatives, along with unverified claims that large dogs were disappearing from the streets and that legal charges were being pursued against the company. Skaggs later revealed the hoax, which he orchestrated with assistance from Korean collaborators. The performance aimed to critique the media's willingness to report on news without verification and highlighted widespread cultural bias.
The Solomon Project