File:72ndStreet- Vik Muniz, Perfect Strangers (30937142443).jpg

Glass mosaic and laminated glass, fabricated by Franz Mayer of Munich.

For 72nd Street, Vik Muniz photographed more than three dozen “characters” who represent all of the unique and quirky kinds of people one encounters on the subway. These photographs have been re-created in mosaic and installed throughout the mezzanine and entrance areas, populating the station with colorful New Yorkers of all stripes. The main station entrance features an etched glass canopy at street level depicting a flock of birds, bringing art and nature to the busy street.With the generous expanse of the mezzanine concourse, the figures humanize the space and provide bursts of color and visual interest, providing an opportunity for playful discovery while moving through the station.

Vik Muniz is a Brazilian-born artist based in New York City and Rio de Janeiro who uses unconventional materials and methods to create images culled from pop culture and art history. His work appears in international museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum. The Academy-award nominated documentary “Waste Land” featured his collaboration with catadores (waste-pickers) to create masterworks of art from recycled materials. Muniz was an artistic director of the 2016 Paralympic opening ceremony in Brazil.