Nine stations on the Culver line (F train) in Brooklyn have re-opened with new MTA Arts & Design Projects, in laminated glass and metal, by eight different artists. Using the theme of the multicultural neighborhood surrounding each station, the artists created colorful permanent artworks mimicking the people who stand on these platforms every day. Below are the eight stations and their new, permanent art installations.
Artist Derek Lerner, “AVEX-1-6 (station),” at Avenue X
Artist, Derek Lerner created six original and unique ink drawings in laminated glass at Avenue X station on the F line. His artwork plays with the idea of macro and micro scale, an essential visual language in his practice. Each unique drawing takes reference from the geographic location of the station, as well as its cartographic relation to the city’s transportation network.
Artist Andrea Belag, “Brooklyn Transitions” at Avenue U
Artist, Andrea Belag created 30 permanent glass artworks entitled ‘Brooklyn Transitions‘ installed on the North and Southbound platforms at the Avenue U station. Her artwork celebrates the literal and figurative movement of New Yorkers. The installation is six unique, painted compositions that emphasize motion and blending of color in abstraction. Belag aims to mirror the diversity of New Yorkers in transit, as well as the movement of the human body in space.
Artist Lisa Sigal, “Push/Pull” at Avenue N
Artist, Lisa Sigal highlights the views of specific Brooklyn streetscapes near the station. She captures refractive images that multiply the appearance of a single transparent surface into many reflections of public, private and commercial sites. Each horizontal, panoramic image is a single photograph shot at just the right angle and time of day. Push/Pull functions as a still moment, while also referencing the instruction for passage from one place to another.
Artist Leslie Wayne, “Neptune’s Garden” at Bay Parkway (BMT West End Line)
Artist, Leslie Wayne’s “Neptune’s Garden” is situated along the elevated subway route to Coney Island. In creating the artwork, Wayne considered the public’s interests and concerns for the environment and surrounding bodies of water, as well as New Yorkers perennial enjoyment with the ocean ~ visiting beaches during summertime, watching the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, fishing or simply viewing. Neptune’s Garden is a tribute to this enjoyment.
Artist Jackie Battenfield, “Tree Canopy” at Avenue P
Artist, Jackie Battenfield reflects on the trees of Brooklyn ~ their canopy of shade, shelter during an unexpected rain show, and softening the urban geometry. Similarly, the subway and sidewalks provide the public with a path to jobs adventures and visits. Her paintings of twisting boughs, flowering and leafing trees are set against a pristine white sky to explore the dynamic between abstraction and figuration.
Artist Kambui Olujimi, “Where the Sky Begins” at Avenue I
Artist, Kambui Olujimi took photographs of the skies around the world, and worked to create this series of artworks that speaks to the international nature of Brooklyn and the greater city of New York. For Olujimi, his artwork references our universal connections and the infinite changing skies, whether it be in Johannesburg, or Jerusalem, Beijing or Brooklyn.
Artist, Cara Marie Lynch, “Inheritance: In Memory of American Glass” at Ditmas Avenue
Artist Julien Gardair, “We Are Each Others” at 18th Avenue & Kings Highway
Artist, Julien Gardair’s artwork depicts figural sculptures with seating elements and whimsical surface design on windscreen panels. Some of the figures are from local history, and some ~ present day residents. The series also captures themes of family life and resourcefulness in the neighborhood
Check out MTA Arts & Design website, Internships, and a Call for Artists.