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    Cosmic Birds Soar Through New York City Subway Stations in Fred Tomaselli’s New Mosaics

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    ‘Wild Things’ (2024), glass and ceramic mosaics. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for 14 St-7 Av station. Photo by Photo: Trent Reeves. All images © Fred Tomaselli and NYC Transit 14 St Station Complex, shared with permission

    Cosmic Birds Soar Through New York City Subway Stations in Fred Tomaselli’s New Mosaics

    November 13, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Known for his large-scale, collaged resin paintings and ongoing series of reimagined front pages of The New York Times, Fred Tomaselli is captivated by what he describes as the “friction” between beauty and ugliness or internal and external forces. He often observes interactions between humanity and nature through rhythmic patterns and vibrant colors.

    In New York City’s 14 St-6 Av and 14 St-7 Av subway stations, a series of new murals titled Wild Things have been unveiled in the historical spirit of the MTA mosaics. An avid birder, the Brooklyn-based artist highlights species that live year-round in New York City.

    Detail of mosaic in 14 St-7 Av station

    Scenes brightening up passageways and stairwells include orioles mobbing a falcon, a bright sky full of electric blue clouds, a spiral-eyed, cosmic cardinal, and more.

    Wild Things marks Tomaselli’s first permanent public artwork in Manhattan and reflects his mixed-media approach to collage in ceramics and glass. Commissioned by MTA Art & Design, the mosaics join more than 350 permanent installations accessible to public 24/7.

    Learn more about the artist’s work on Instagram. You might also enjoy Contemporary Art Underground, a celebration of New York City Subway art, Nick Cave’s 360-food “Soundsuit” installation, or Nancy Blum’s sprawling tile blossoms.

    Passageway from 7 Av to 6 Av

    Detail of work in passageway from 7 Av to 6 Av

    Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

    Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

    Detail of mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

    Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

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      in Street Art

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      in Street Art

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      in Art

      Nick Cave’s Energetic ‘Soundsuits’ Dance Along the New York City Subway in a 360-Foot Mosaic

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      Art

      #installation
      #mosaics
      #new york city
      #public art
      #transportation

      September 10, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Each One, Every One, Equal All” (2022). Photo by Photo by MTA/Trent Reeves. All images courtesy of MTA Arts & Design.
      Spanning the 42 St. Connector between Times Square and Bryant Park in New York City are a troupe of dancing figures dressed in vibrant costumes of feather and fur. The ebullient characters are based on the iconic series of Soundsuits by Chicago-based artist Nick Cave (previously) and are the first part of a massive permanent installation titled Each One, Every One, Equal All in the public transit corridor.
      Stretching 360 feet, “Every One” is the first in the mosaic trio and displays more than two dozen of the adorned figures inlaid in ceramic tiles. The pieces are based on James Prinz’s photos of Cave’s original designs, which are soulful and energetic forms that blend fashion, sculpture, and performance in full-body coverings. Soundsuits “camouflage the shape of the wearer, enveloping and creating a second skin that hides gender, race, and class, thus compelling the audience to watch without judgment.” Cave describes the impetus for the project.
      Times Square is one of the busiest, most diverse, and fabulously kinetic places on the planet. For this project, I took the aboveground color, movement, and cross-pollination of humanity, bundled it into a powerful and compact energy mass that is taken underground and delivered throughout the station and passage. ‘Every One’ places the viewer within a performance, directly connecting them with the Soundsuits as part of an inclusive community of difference.
      “Every One” was officially unveiled today with a short video work showing the colorful figures in motion playing every 15 minutes outside the corridor. “Each One” and “Equal All” are scheduled for 2022, and once complete, the project will stretch 4,600-square-feet with more than four dozen dancers. It will mark both Cave’s largest permanent installation and the MTA’s most expansive commissioned mosaic to date.
      To learn more about Soundsuits and the project’s history, read this explainer in Public Delivery, and follow the artist’s work on Instagram. (via Kottke)

      Photo by MTA/Trent Reeves
      Photo by MTA Arts & Design/Cheryl Hageman
      Photo by MTA Arts & Design/Cheryl Hageman
      Photo by MTA Arts & Design/Cheryl Hageman
      Photo by MTA Arts & Design/Cheryl Hageman

      #installation
      #mosaics
      #new york city
      #public art
      #transportation

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