“Underground Art” usually brings to mind images of rebellious artists challenging the norms of the art world of whatever year, but in this case—and many others—the meaning is literal, and the works are in the subway. Of course, New York is not the only city with well-decorated transit (I grew up on tales of how the Moscow Metro resembled a museum gallery), but it turns out to be one of the biggest collections, most of it installed over the past 15 or 20 years. Click on any picture for a larger view!
This blog is focused on a series of 35 ceramics by Toby Buonagurio called “Times Square Times: 35 Times.” And of course, it’s in the Times Square station. As I took the pictures for today’s blog, I created a small sensation. Several people stopped to see what I was taking pictures of; one even took a picture of me taking a picture! Some told me this was the first they had noticed the art—which was installed in 2004—although they pass it every day. Another told me that he goes out of his way to admire it every day.
I have to confess to having passed by any number of times before my wife and I noticed it, and I kept promising myself that I’d come back and photograph the series. In the end, all at one end of the Times Square station, I photographed not one, but three art projects. In the same area is a series of wall tilings called “Revelers” by Jane Dixon, and two large wall murals by Jack Beal (just below. And yes, those are real people blended into the second one.
Next to one of the Beal murals, I also found Malang Jobateh, playing a “kora,” a West
African instrument that combines half a large gourd with a cowskin resonator and strings to produce a harp-like sound. He’s part of a program that licenses professional musicians to play inside the system—there are amazing and diverse sounds to be heard in the subway these days!
I also found a guide to what I was seeing, and to where I’ll be going to look at more: a more or less complete catalog of subway art installations is HERE To my pleased surprise, the installations aren’t limited to a few showcase stations; they are spread out to far places in the system.
It’s also true that these are not the first artworks in the system; even at the beginning there were station plaques that used locality motifs: a beaver at Astor Place (the Astors made their money in the fur trade), a steamboat at Fulton Street, a galleon at Columbus Circle… A sample from Astor Place above; only a few of these have survived a century of first neglect and then renovation.
As I photographed the Buonagurio works, I had difficulty with the reflections of the lights and other reflections of the station on their glass covers, as you can see just above. I’ve done my best to minimize them, but they are also what you see when you see them up close—and in a way, they are really part of the picture. Short of a complete light baffle…no way!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these as much as I have, and will come visit them and the rest of our grand collection of “underground art.” At $2.50 admission, including a ride between galleries, it’s quite a bargain.
And the Revelers…
Click on the thumbnail slideshow below for even more images…
The artwork is spectacular! It’s a shame that more folks don’t take the time to admire its beauty and the talent needed to create such pieces. Great write-up my friend!