A Baltimore performance artist spent three days standing nearly naked on a small platform on Houston Street near Crosby Street in SoHo, a stunt that ended with him claiming a stranger punched him in the face and with Ham saying he was taken for psychiatric evaluation. The artist, who goes by Ham and posts under the handle psuperhamb, wrote “use less to fight progress” across his body during the display, which he apparently intended to draw attention to OpenAI opening an office nearby on Houston Street.
According to the New York Post, the performance unfolded on Saturday, September 5, and drew a mix of confusion and fury from passersby. One man reportedly confronted Ham, asking, “What the f–k is wrong with you 'b'? You got your s–t out? You know there's kids, bro.” An unnamed woman was less alarmed, telling the outlet, “I can't even see it, it's so small,” while another passing New Yorker offered simply, “I wouldn't be flaunting that.”
Ham told the Post that during the stunt, someone pushed him off his platform multiple times, and that when he climbed back up, a man punched him in the face and ran away. NYPD has not confirmed whether Ham was assaulted or taken into custody, per the same outlet's reporting.
A Psychiatric Hold, Not Criminal Charges
On September 8, Ham says he was taken into custody and involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward. He claims he was released after six hours of evaluation. The department told the Post that public nudity connected to expressive activity is not necessarily unlawful, and that legality depends on the specific facts and circumstances of each case.
New York law offers a possible explanation for why officers turned to a mental-health response rather than criminal charges. Under New York State Penal Law § 245.01, appearing in public with exposed private body parts is generally treated as a violation, but the statute carves out an explicit exemption for anyone entertaining or performing in a play, exhibition, show, or entertainment. Separately, under Penal Law § 245.00, exposure only rises to the level of public lewdness, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, if it is done in an intentionally lewd or sexually offensive manner, according to a breakdown of the statute detailed on a legal defense resource that cites the law.
Instead, officers appear to have relied on a different legal tool. Section 9.41 of the state's Mental Hygiene Law allows police to take a person into custody for emergency psychiatric evaluation if the individual appears mentally ill and is behaving in a way likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others, according to New York State Senate statutory text. That provision permits transport to a hospital emergency room or psychiatric center for evaluation without any criminal charges being filed.
Targeting OpenAI's New SoHo Footprint
The location of Ham's platform was not incidental. OpenAI leased 90,000 square feet at the Puck Building, according to Bisnow, in what the outlet described as the company's first New York City office. The deal was among the largest tech office leases in Manhattan in late 2024, arriving on the heels of OpenAI's $6.6 billion funding round.
The Puck Building is owned by Kushner Companies and also houses Thrive Capital, the venture firm founded by Joshua Kushner that has invested more than $1 billion in OpenAI and helped lead several of its multi-billion-dollar financing rounds, per the same Bisnow report. The broader tech influx into SoHo has been substantial: AI companies leased roughly 1 million square feet of Manhattan office space between 2025 and mid-2026, with major expansions anchored in SoHo and Midtown, according to Busylike.
A Familiar Pattern of Public Performances
This was not Ham's first bare-skinned appearance on New York streets. In 2025, he performed a similar stunt wearing only underwear and socks, and around the same time he raised money for an engagement ring, though he now says he is no longer engaged, per the Post's reporting.
His pattern extends beyond New York. On July 4, 2026, Baltimore police arrested Sonnenfeld after he posed completely nude atop a vacant Christopher Columbus statue pedestal in the city's Little Italy neighborhood, leading to charges of indecent exposure, assault, and resisting arrest. He also described that July 4 performance as an examination of “what freedom is now,” according to a The Baltimore Banner.
Sonnenfeld is a Baltimore artist who creates public performances.
Legal Precedent for Street Artists
Legal Questions for Street Artists New York law includes an exception for some expressive performances, as described above, illustrating why the legal treatment of such performances can differ from ordinary public exposure.
For now, it remains unclear whether the NYPD or the Manhattan District Attorney's office intends to pursue formal charges against Ham, or whether the department's response will stay limited to the psychiatric evaluation already carried out under Section 9.41. New Yorkers who watched the spectacle unfold on Houston Street, meanwhile, were left with reactions ranging from outrage to bemused indifference.
