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Here's What The Second Avenue Subway Will Look Like When It's Filled With Art
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 22, 2014
Modified Jan 22, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 22, 2014
Modified Jan 22, 2014
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It's been years in the making, but finally, the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway is scheduled to be completed and open to the public in December of 2016. We've had a lot of glimpses of the MTA working on the tunnels to make the line a reality, but we haven't really spent much time contemplating what it will look like once the damn thing is done. Until now: above, you can see some of the renderings of art the MTA has commissioned that will adorn the four major stations along the route.
As Untapped Cities reports, artist Jean Shin will decorate the walls of the 63rd Street station with a ceramic and glass photographic installation, that will include archival photos from the Transit Museum. Artist and photographer Vik Muniz will install his piece, “Perfect Strangers,” at the 72nd Street station. Those photos, which "celebrates the many interesting and unique characters one sees on the train," will be transferred onto life sized mosaics—you can read more about his work here.
The legendary Chuck Close will display large and intricately designed portraits of NY's cultural figures at the 86th Street station. This will be the largest mosaic public art work that Close has ever created. You can see a documentary on Close below.
And finally, artist Sarah Sze, whose fascinating High Line installation is a Gothamist favorite, will contribute to the 96th Street station. Sze has been commissioned for a series of drawings on the porcelain wall panels; these works will depict "dynamic landscapes evoking wind, architecture, flora and dramatic energy fields divided into three distinct palettes of blue, violet, and lavender located at three different entrances."
Tagged
2nd avenue subway
chuck close
jean shin
MTA
sarah sze
second avenue subway
subway
train
vik muniz
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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