#permanentart

Happy #Pride weekend!

Image: Takayo Noda’s “The Habitat for the Yellow Bird,” (2007) at Sutter Av (L) station

Maren Hassinger’s “Message from Malcolm” (1998) at Central Park North-110 St (2,3) station in #Manhattan honors #MalcolmX and consists of quotations from him within mosaic panels that line the stairway walls at the entrance and an upright wall on the station’s platform. Among the quotations are the words, “I believe in a society in which people can live like human beings on the basis of equality.”

Thank goodness warm weather is finally here!

Manny Vega’s “Sábado en la Ciento Diez (Saturday on 110th Street),” (1996) at 110 St (6) station puts us in the #perfectsummer frame of mind. The four mosaics – Earth, Air, Fire and Water – represent @mannyvega.nyc’s childhood memories, and the joyous, colorful atmosphere of la ciento diez. Air (seen here) illustrates a typical summer-in-the-city diversion: Children playing under the spray of a fire hydrant, while a #piraguero shaves a block of ice to make tropical fruit-flavored snow cones of guava, papaya, mango, and tamarindo.

“Each One” stands at an impressive 14.5 feet tall and features colorful #Soundsuits in various states of vertical movement and suspension, accentuated by stripes that run floor to ceiling. The movement and shapes are a nod to the famous New Year’s Eve ball drop on top of the One Times Square building directly above the artwork.

“Equal All,” is the crown jewel of the artwork trilogy. 12 intricately detailed Soundsuits, roughly life-sized, capture many of Cave’s well-known pieces from the last 20 years. The earliest of the Soundsuits featured was made in 2005, while the most recent, “Soundsuit 9:29,” was made in 2021 as part of a recent body of work produced in response to the murder of George Floyd. Concentric and radiating rings around the Soundsuits connect the individuals and share energy.

“Every One” is the largest piece of the commission, consisting of 360 linear feet of mosaic and an accompanying video that opened to the public in September 2021. The expansive piece includes more than 24 Soundsuits, some larger than life and bursting with joy. The installation’s shifting scale and perspectives test the boundaries of visibility. The artwork defies the static form of mosaic and becomes animated by the movement of individuals passing by. On the quarter-hour, a three-minute video piece of the same name (“Every One”) is presented on the eleven OUTFRONT digital screens midway through the corridor. Colors from the glass mosaic are mirrored in the corresponding architectural finish on the opposite wall. The design for the ceramic tile color-banding was created by Cave in tandem with the 42 St Connector architects, di Domenico + Partners.

“Each One, Every One, Equal All” features more than four dozen of the @nickcaveart’s Soundsuits, which combine fashion and sculpture to become something entirely new. The MTA Arts & Design commission is intended to enhance the transit experience, bring awareness to the moment, and connect back to the street above and our connectedness as individuals. Commuters and tourists are invited to marvel in the expression of color and movement now permanently part of the Times Square experience.

William Wegman’s “Stationary Figures” (2018) at 23 St (F,M) station features eleven mosaics made from his famed Weimaraner portraits. Photographed with @williamwegman’s deadpan sense of humor, the dogs take on human attributes. Grouped like passengers, they gaze into space or peer down the platform as if waiting for the train while wearing street clothes like a shiny raincoat or flannel shirt.

The artist’s multifaceted studio practice can be seen at @speronewestwater through July 29. “William Wegman: Writing by Artist” features texts, drawings, paintings, early photographs, and videos dating from the early 1970s to the present.

Sandy Litchfield’s “Forestation Syncopation” blends geometric and organic shapes to unveil the ways in which the natural and built environments interact, as seen from the Long Island Rail Road train journey to New Hyde Park and the surrounding area. Installed in three platform shelters, each window visualizes a distinct view of a landscape impression -- as if catching a glimpse of morning sun before work, or the flicker of light through the trees on the way home to Long Island after a day in New York City.

With an emphasis on color and light, @sandylitchfieldstudio’s artwork incorporates the painterly watercolor marks alongside linear details that define intersecting edges. The original artwork was made using a hybrid process of hand-drawing, painting and digital technologies and was then fabricated into 36 laminated glass panels by Mayer of Munich.

Karen Margolis’ “Cerebration” (2018) at 86 St (N) station in #Brooklyn visualizes thought patterns in circular clusters of color  ̶  at times bursting like fireworks. Fabricated by @mvmstudiosmx, colors within the mosaic artwork flow abstractly from one panel to the next, connecting a narrative of travelers’ thoughts and memories. 

A paper-based piece by Margolis’ is currently on view in the @among_friends_show, alongside fellow #MTAarts artists @maureen_mcquillan, @danhzeller, @lindaganjian, @triciawrightart & @peterdrakeart, a group show organized by Alexandra Rutsch Brock, Beth Dary and Patricia Fabricant, at @equitygallery. “Among Friends” takes its inspiration from #RobertRauschenberg’s “Hiccups” (1978), wherein Rauschenberg zipped together ninety-seven sheets of handmade paper each with an unique composition, and “reflects and responds to the strength and illumination we find through art, friendship and community.” Let’s all celebrate being back #AmongFriends! On view through May 22.

Today we celebrate #summersolstice and the longest day of #sunlight with Andrea Arroyo’s “My Sun (Mi Sol), My Planet (Mi Planeta) and My City (Mi Ciudad)” (2006) at Gun Hill Rd (2,5) station.