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Romantic 'Missing Love' Subway Posters Are An "Art Action"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 9, 2014
Modified Feb 9, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 9, 2014
Modified Feb 9, 2014
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With Valentine's Day around the corner, lots of social media-savvy New Yorkers are trying to spread some affection to their fellow citizens—and if they get some viral attention for their art collective, all the better for everyone involved (well, mostly for them, but still). This week, the above poster started popping up at various subway stations and trains. For your information: this project is apparently an "art action" by installation and performance artist Maria Luisa Portuondo Vila.
So far, the installation is achieving some social media coverage: tons of people have been tweeting #MissingLove over the last couple days, under the impression this is a purely sincere attempt at finding love underground. "Dammit, I'm rooting for this one. Also, great way to start the morning transit, hoax or not," tweeted Ben Schrager.
We've contacted Vila to try to learn a bit more about the project, which she claims on Twitter is both "art and reality!!" Perhaps she really did run across the man in the yellow pants on the train, and used it as a jumping off point for a commentary on modern romance and missed connections. Or maybe she once had a sex dream about Slash and now we're all suffering for it.
That's not the only romantically-minded Valentines project happening this week: Buzzfeed says that Brooklyn-based freelancer Erika Anderson will ride the A, C, and F trains through Crown Heights and the Lower East Side on Friday handing out valentines to strangers. In addition, the New York Transit Museum is hosting a "Missed Connections" party on Valentine's Day.
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art
art action
missing love
posters
subway
subway posters
valentine's day
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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