The Hole Truth

Visit The Hole Truth on the Valentine’s block of East Clay Street!

Created by Richmond-based artist Mickael Broth (The Night Owl), The Hole Truth is mesmerizingly simple in form, composed of two human-scale abstract shapes, each with a hole through its center, and each faced in a mirrored surface. The pieces are interactive by their very nature, drawing visitors and passersby into the works themselves, while the strategically situated holes allow audiences of different heights and abilities to connect with the work in amusing and thought-provoking ways. Beyond serving as playful and welcoming invitations into the museum, the work offers a metaphor for the museum itself.

The Hole Truth was commissioned and gifted by The Common Wealth Public Art Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond and approved in partnership with The Public Art Commission and Richmond City Council as an addition to the City’s collection.

Artist Statement: “The Hole Truth asks us to reflect on how our personal and collective histories are shaped by the things we choose to share, as much as they are by the things we omit. In a city with a deeply complex and layered history, the work provides an opportunity to remove the ego from the way in which we view the past, present, and future of the world around us. The name of the work is a play on words that references the former site of the court building across 10th Street, in which I spent many days being required to “tell the whole truth” when I was tried and incarcerated for graffiti in the early 2000s. The work is presented in two sizes in order to provide the interactive experience to viewers of diverse ages and abilities. The works are fabricated from powder-coated marine-grade aluminum and mirrored stainless steel.”