The Hole gallery and artist Barry McGee have transformed a shuttered 99 Cents Only store in Mid-City Los Angeles into a massive, temporary art installation titled "99CENT." The exhibition preserves the original infrastructure of the discount store—including its blue-and-white tiling, checkout lanes, and aisle signage—to house a dense collection of sculptures, paintings, and mixed-media works. Hundreds of artists, ranging from established figures in the graffiti scene to emerging students, contributed to the project, which features everything from tagged bridal gowns to foam sculptures.
This pop-up exhibition highlights the creative reclamation of Los Angeles's disappearing commercial landmarks following the 2024 collapse of the 99 Cents Only chain. By bypassing traditional gallery formalities in favor of an "ego-free" and chaotic DIY aesthetic, the project serves as a significant cultural moment for the city's underground and street art communities. It demonstrates a growing trend of utilizing non-traditional, temporary spaces to foster large-scale artistic collaboration outside of institutional constraints.