Series: Underground Galleries

New York’s subway system is a lifeline for the entire city. Yet over a century of overuse and abuse resulted in structural damages and mechanical malfunctions. As part of Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s effort to update the system, a few new stations had opened on the Q/Second Avenue Line. A portion of the allotted budget went into new art installations.

At the E 63^rd Street station, mosaics and glasses installation, Elevated, designed by artist Jean Shin showcases life on the Upper East Side in decades past. People from all walks of life in noir style stood around the fainted remnants of IRT Second Avenue Elevated Line.^[1] Life went on and things changed.

Further uptown at the E 72^nd Street station, life-size figures in brilliant colors, entitled Perfect Strangers by Vik Muniz, reflect the melting-pot nature of this vibrant city. It IS the day-to-day lives of the riders of this new subway line.

Let’s travel through time with these beautiful artworks.

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^[1]Interborough Rapid Transit Company Second Avenue Line: Wiki

The mosaics figures at East 63^rd and East 72^nd are ordinary people carrying on with their lives and/or activities in the city^[1]. The photorealistic images, based on original works of Chuck Close, at East 86^th (Q line, 2^nd Ave.) are mostly portraits of celebrities including Kara Walker, Cecily Brown, Alex Katz, Lou Reed, Philip Glass, and Zhang Huan. There are two self-portraits of the artist and a smiley face of baby “Emma.”^[2]

As realistic as these images are, taking them on their face value as reproductions of photos might be missing the points—literally and figuratively. The portraits of Kara Walker and Cecily Brown (a familiar subject of Chucks) are devised by small circular components, each with its own combination of colors and shades. The characters of these little dots and how they hold their own places seem more intriguing then the big picture.

“Sienna,”^[3] based on Close, 2012, watercolor pigment print and one of Close’s self-portraits are constructed with thousands small pieces of glasses and ceramic pieces. As one moves from one spot to another, the changes of lights bring out highlight different portions of the images—The frame of Close’s eye glasses, for example.

The rough black-and-white headshot of Alex Katz, with bold strokes, reminisces Van Gogh’s self-portrait. The most realistic installation is Lou Reed’s image, constructed with painted tiles. When observed closely, the details became three-dimensional. The second self-portrait of Close and “Emma” are the most abstract. They are all about shapes and colors.

Like all things in life, distance changes prospective.

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^[1]One exception: Among the figures, the gentleman holding a grocery bag with fishtail sticking out—seem to be renown French chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud.
^[2]Chuck Close Immortalizes Lou Reed, Philip Glass and Others in 2nd Avenue Subway/
^[3]Image of artist Sienna Shields.