If you commute by train or subway to work, you might be used to the stations all looking pretty similar. Some may feature artwork (city-sanctioned or otherwise), but for the most part, they’re plain. There are plenty of nice ones, to be sure, and plenty with historical appeal. But Naples is taking subway stations to the next level.
In a revitalization effort led by Achille Bonto Oliva, former director of the Venice Biennale, 14 of Naples’ subway stations have been revamped. The 1 and 6 lines of the city’s Metro system will feature the work of over 100 artists and architects. You can see works by Alessandro Mendini, Anish Kapoor, Gae Aulenti, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Karim Rashid and Sol LeWitt. More stations may be slated for installations of art in the future.
Carla Trappani, Mostra Station
This image, titled They Give of Themselves in Vain, makes use of complimentary colors that seem to vibrate against one another, creating a sense of motion.
Joseph Kosuth, Dante Station
These neon lights spell out an excerpt from Book III of Dante Alighieri’s Convivo.
Michelangelo Pistoletto, Garibaldi Station
Pistoletto’s work features life-sized photos of passengers walking and waiting silkscreened onto a mirrored surface, so that real, living passengers are integrated into the work, and the work is constantly changing.
Perino & Vele, Salvator Rosa Station
The title of this piece, “The Subway is Safer,” points to not only the safety benefits of the subway over automobiles, but to the fact that mass transit is safer for the environment as well. These are four Fiat Cinquecento cars covered in papier-mache and fiberglass.
Karim Rashid, University of Naples Station
The staircases leading out to different exits feature brightly-colored portraits of Dante and Beatrice from the classic work of literature. The work is a nod to the city’s rich combination of ancient tradition and modern technology.
Karim Rashid, University of Naples Station
Rashid’s work is characterized by bright colors and soft forms, and he repeats this in the University station, with illuminated light-boxes showcasing his designs.
Karim Rashid, University of Naples Station
The central, silver sculpture represents a synapse, the action that allows for communication between the nervous system and the cells of the body, an apt metaphor for the connectivity that subways afford a city. The black columns that resemble faces in profile were also designed by Rashid.
Oscar Tusquets Blanca and William Kentridge, Toledo Station
The Toledo station on the whole was designed to allude to the colors of the surrounding land, from the black of the modern city’s asphalt to warm earth tones and blues of the sea.
Oscar Tusquets Blanca and Robert Wilson, Toledo Station
The skylight, called the Crater of Light, is a huge conical channel that runs through all levels of the station, from street level to the lowest level, some 40 meters underneath, and under sea level. Inside, blue LEDs are programmed to shift slightly, alluding to the water.
Oscar Tusquets Blanca and Robert Wilson, Toledo Station
Another view of the skylight.
You can find information on the art in the other stations in the city’s brochure, which is in Italian and English.
