(New York, NY) WhiteBox ICIP (Internship Curatorial Independent Program) presents Have a Good One!, a site-specific exhibition that explores the everyday rhythms of survival, privilege, and community identity in New York City’s Lower East Side’s epicenter, East Village-Alphabet City. Organized by Christy Li and Debora Maurelli as part of its Spring ‘25 Internship Curatorial Independent Projects, this exhibition moves beyond the conventional gallery setting, transforming a local New York bodega into a space for critical reflection.
Through a series of embedded artworks—tucked among aisles, nestled on shelves, or subtly integrated into the store’s commercial space—the exhibition interrogates the tensions between scarcity and abundance, privilege and struggle, necessity and luxury. Against the backdrop of rapid gentrification, Have a Good One! blurs the line between art and daily life, challenging viewers to look beyond routine transactions and recognize the hidden narratives shaping urban existence.
The title, Have a Good One!, borrowed from the casual farewell exchanged at the register, takes on deeper significance. What does it truly mean to “have a good one” in a city where economic survival is increasingly precarious for a large segment of its blue-collar working-class population? Through site-specific installations, repurposed materials, and personal reflections, the artists confront the contradictions of modern urban life, where aspirations are often at odds with systemic class and economic barriers.
A cornerstone of New York’s immigrant and working-class communities, the bodega is more than just a convenience store—it is a microcosm of relationships, resilience, and adaptation. By reimagining this everyday space as an exhibition site, *Have a Good One!* turns a place of necessity into a forum for critical awareness, where even the simplest objects reveal complex socio-cultural and political realities.
Exhibition Dates
March 20 – 25, 2025
Opening Reception
March 20, 2025 | 6 – 8 PM
Curators
Christy Li
Debora Maurelli
Artists
Yasmeen Abdallah, Adina Andrus, Silvia Francis Berry, Lindsay-Ann Chilcott, Yen Yen Chou, Angelique De Castro, Noah Fischer, Abby Goodman, Danielle Grandison, Yeeun Joo, Nicholas Leeper, Kara Li, Helen Lin, Alisa Ochoa, Onaje Grant-Simmons
Venue
Ben’s Deli Grocery
32 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
Contact
haveagoodone220@gmail.com
+1 840-205-5775 (Christy)
+39 370 137 5339 (Debora)
Event Highlights
Special Opening Night Offer – Ben’s Deli Grocery generously offers everything half off during the opening night.
Live Webstream Conversation – A discussion between curators, artists, and a bodega staff member (Date TBA)
Admission: Free
About Curators
Christy Li (Beijing, China, 2001) is an emerging curator whose work bridges politics and art, reflecting her academic background at Pitzer College. She has interned at Pitzer College Art Galleries in Claremont, California, and Yiwei Gallery in Venice Beach, California, assisting curators in producing diverse exhibitions.
Debora Maurelli (Italy, 2000) is a curator, artist and art organizer. She holds a master’s degree in Visual Arts from IUAV University of Venice and a bachelor’s in Architectural Design from the Politecnico di Milano. Her education is further enriched by a master’s in Architecture and Museography for Archaeology, deepening her exploration of spatial design, heritage conservation, and exhibition curation. She has taken on a transversal role in artistic and cultural management, exhibition production, and installation, collaborating with various organizations in the art and non-profit sectors.
About Gallery
WhiteBox, founded in Chelsea in 1998 as a pioneering alternative art space, has been a catalyst for bold contemporary initiatives, providing a platform for artists shaping the global and New York City art scenes. As an artist-run nonprofit, it has served as a laboratory for commissions, exhibitions, salon series, and educational programs. With over 25 years of programming, continuing its Chelsea tradition, WBX champions risk-taking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and socially engaged art, cementing its role in the city’s artistic ecosystem.
The WhiteBox SIP—Staff & Internship Involvement Program—is a recognition and development initiative that advances this mission by offering hands-on experience in curation, exhibition production, and public programming, nurturing emerging arts professionals and ensuring WhiteBox remains a vibrant hub for creativity, research, and cultural dialogue.
(text & photo courtesy of WhiteBox ICIP)
