Michael Kelly Williams’ mosaic artwork, “El 2 and El 5” (1992) at Intervale Av (2,5) station in the #Bronx, draws its imagery from the experience of the elevated train: “the movement, the sound, the sense of time, and the visual cityscape and lights.” In @michaelkellywilliams’ words, “Light is a major theme of the piece, especially the burst of light that envelops a subway train when it leaves an underground tunnel and becomes elevated. African and Native American influences are integral to the work, as are arch shapes suggested by tunnels and ‘els.’”
SOL'SAX’s “SOL'SCRYPT” (2008) at Halsey St (J,Z) is based on African and African-American culture and history, and fused with the contemporary music and pop culture from his Brooklyn neighborhood. Images of city life are melded with symbols of ancient African cultural influences and relics. The compositions are intended to provide guidance, and protection, inspiration for all traveling through the station.
Jean Shin’s “Celadon Remnants” (2008) at LIRR Broadway station in #Queens used celadon fragments hand-selected and donated by the city of Icheon, South Korea to create large-scale mosaic murals that feature the shapes and silhouettes of pottery. At Lexington Av/63 St (F,Q) station, for the #SecondAveSubway in #Manhattan, Shin’s “Elevated” (2017) used archival photographs of the Second and Third Avenue elevated trains to depict vintage scenes of the neighborhood, enabling contemporary viewers to see themselves in the cityscape of the past.
This weekend artwork by #MTAarts artists Michael Kelly Williams, SOL’SAX, and Jean Shin can be seen in “The Sustainable Art Show,” curated by Sara Reisman (@reismansara) and John Cloud Kaiser (@johncloudkaiser). The exhibition is a celebration of 10 years of @materialsforthearts’ Artist-in-Residence program, and work made by resident artist alumni that celebrate the spirit of “creative reuse.”
