The Extraordinary Story of Prisoner 16389067

While serving five years behind bars for drug charges, Jesse Krimes found an outlet for his emotions via one epically ambitious artwork—reassembled piece by piece on the outside.

Photos by Seven Halsema

Jesse Krimes served five years in federal prison for drug charges. While incarcerated, Krimes created a larger-than-life work of art that he considers a reflection of the very walls that confined him. Working with only one small, individual section at a time, he created an approximately fifteen-foot-tall, thirty-foot-long piece of art, crafted from prison bed sheets which he obtained by paying off the washroom attendant. Using hair gel and a plastic spoon, Krimes transferred newsprint images from The New York Times onto the bed sheets, then had each panel sent out of prison.