One of the joys of encountering art in unexpected places is how quickly it can change the way we pay attention. If you’re in New York, make time to see Fred Tomaselli’s subway mosaics at the 14th Street–Sixth Avenue station.
We went over there specifically to see these works! And, they are totally mesmerizing.
Tomaselli has translated his unique and iconic way of making paintings into ceramic mosaic with remarkable success. The density, color, pattern, and almost hallucinatory quality of his paintings carry beautifully into the mosaics. It’s one of the best translations of an artist’s practice into public art I’ve seen.
And you need to know where to look.
Here are Fred’s directions:
Enter the stairwell for the L, M, and F trains from the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and 14th Street.
Three mosaics are in the free fare zone.
Go through the turnstile and follow the signs toward the 1, 2, and 3 trains. You’ll walk down a long tunnel and encounter another mosaic toward the end.
Continue to the mezzanine and the 1, 2, and 3 lines. The first stairwells you reach have one mosaic at the uptown stairwell and another at the downtown stairwell.
Those last two are Fred’s favorites—and mine too.
One of the things I love about art is the way it gets us to pay attention and see the world differently, particularly when we encounter it somewhere unexpected. Knowing that art is embedded throughout New York’s subway system increases my excitement about taking the subway and my awareness as I move through the city. Fred’s mosaics are a great reason to look.
Fred Tomaselli, Wild Things
14th Street–Sixth Avenue subway station
New York City
