Trainspotting: Subway Art Installations Around The World

By Carmarlena Murdaca

Trainspotting: Subway Art Installations Around The World
From colorful murals to thought-provoking sculptures, explore the diverse and creative world of subway art from different cities around the world. Immerse yourself in the unique cultural expressions and artistic interpretations that adorn subway stations in this captivating form of public art.

Whilst legendary institutions such as MoMA and Musée du Louvre boast great allure, world subway systems now allow the modern art lover to appreciate the globe’s ever-growing collection of public art. Here are works of art you can only find if you’re catching public transportation.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Formosa Boulevard station, with its huge Dome of Light by Narcissus Quagliata, is one of the world’s largest public art installations made from individual pieces of coloured glass. According to the artist , “the dome tells the story of human life in four chronologically arranged themed: Water: The Womb of Like; Earth: Prosperity and Growth; Light: The Creative Spirit; and Fire: Destruction and Rebirth, with an overall message of love and tolerance.”

Stockholm, Sweden

Over 90 of the 100 subways stations around Stockholm have been decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 artists much like “Art in the Subway” above at Solna Centrum station.

Naples, Italy

Ten years ago, the city of Naples renewed their subway stations with a bit of art and life. One of the most stunning stations thus far is the Metro Toledo, designed by architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca and his firm. The space was completed in 2012 and glimmers with violet and white tiles that disappear into a vortex in the ceiling above.

New York, United Stated of America 

Brazilian artist Vic Muniz, has worked between New York and Rio de Janeiro his entire career and said he has “known the subway sometimes better than I wanted to”. With his series of three dozen life-size portraits, “Perfect Strangers”, based on staged photographs of people he knows, 72nd Street Station has come alive thanks to his slightly off-kilter characters.

Shanghai, China 

One of the top and perhaps craziest tourist attractions in Shanghai is the Shanghai Sightseeing Tunnel that runs under the Huangpu River. Originally planned to be a moving walkway to shuttle visitors from the Bund to Pudong, this concept proved to be much more trilling with flashing lights and exciting surprises.

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