The MTA Arts & Design program teamed up with artists William Wegman to create Stationary Figures—a larger-than-life mosaic art installation of his gorgeous dog—at the 23rd Street subway station.
The mural mosaics can be seen on the F/M train line at the station on 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue. American artist William Wegman created “eleven glass mosaic panels of his famed Weimaraner portraits” which feature bright, uplifting colors to help brighten the spirits of commuting New Yorkers.
In each image Wegman gives his dog human-like attributes where his pup is wearing fun coats and shirts, and in a statement said,
“I wanted to create portraits of individual characters, people who you might see next to you on the platform. For these I dressed the dogs in more or less ordinary clothes, nothing too fashionable. I was very interested in the way in which photographs, even the out of focus dogs in the background of some images, could be translated into mosaic by Mayer of Munich, who skillfully turned grey stones into grey dogs.”
According to an Instagram post by MTA Arts & Design:
The mosaic fabricator, @mayerofmunich, interpreted the photographs taken for this project by meticulously transforming the facial expressions, skin textures and patterns of the dogs’ vibrant attire into glass mosaic. Wegman has lived and worked in the neighborhood for decades with his dogs Flo and her brother Topper, and together they have created images that enliven this busy station.
The yellow and blue backdrops in each portrait give off a sunny sky vibe underground. That mixed with the adorably dressed up pup images are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Here’s a shot of the mosaic details:
