34th Street Penn Station (1/2/3 Lines), 2018, MTA Arts and Design.
If there is a more fitting place for an artwork about ghosts than Penn Station, I haven’t found it. Every time I pass through the 34th Street control area, I’m struck by how Diana Al-Hadid has managed to turn the subway’s most utilitarian materials (glass mosaic and ceramic) into something so elevated.
The Arc of Gradiva
The title refers to “Gradiva,” the female figure from Wilhelm Jensen’s 1903 novella (and a favorite of the Surrealists) who was said to walk through the ruins of Pompeii. In Al-Hadid’s hands, Gradiva becomes a translucent, ethereal presence made of shimmering pearls, golds, and aquas. She feels like someone caught in the corner of your eye while you’re rushing for the uptown local. The way the fabric of her garment dissolves into the wall mimics Al-Hadid’s signature “dripping” sculptural style, making the solid station wall feel as if the past is leaking through the tile.
The Achievement of MTA Arts & Design
Seeing Al-Hadid’s work (including her more recent 2023 addition, The Time Telling) is a reminder that the MTA Arts & Design program is quietly running one of the most successful public art experiments in the world.
Since 1985, they have transformed what was once a “bleak” and declining system into an underground museum with over 400 site-specific works. By requiring artists to work in durable media like mosaic, bronze, and glass, they’ve ensured that the art is baked into the location.
Notebook Thoughts:
- The Material Shift: Al-Hadid’s “drip” style usually relies on gypsum and fiberglass. Seeing it translated so faithfully into glass mosaic is a feat of translation.
- The “Wait” Factor: We usually think of the subway as a place of transit (moving), but the best MTA art is designed for the “wait.” It gives the eye a place to rest when the train is delayed.
- Favorite Detail: The way the gold tiles catch the artificial station light. It gives the “Gradiva” figure a flicker that makes her feel genuinely alive.
