The New York subway system isn’t exactly city dwellers’ favorite place to spend time, but it does provide a vital means of getting around—and it also happens to play an integral role in the city’s creative history. From early graffiti artists to contemporary photographers, the art on display underground has often been just as exciting as what’s going on above.
Now, to celebrate the recent Video Music Awards (which aired on Sunday, with most celebrity appearances filmed beforehand) two MTV employees decided to put on a pop-up art show celebrating BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists.
Invigorated by the uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Antonia Baker and Rich Tu reached out to eight local artists to create work addressing themes of music, space, unity, and the future, as well as their personal experiences.
The artists include Eva Zar, Amika Cooper, Bronson Farr, Eugenia Mello, Kervin Brisseaux, MorcosKey, and Zipeng Zhu. The installation will continue through September 6 at the Atlantic Terminal Subway Station in Brooklyn.
See images of the pop-up exhibition and individual works, below:
Courtesy of Eva Zar and MTV.
Installation view of the pop-up MTV VMA art exhibition at the Barclays Center.
Courtesy of MorcosKey and MTV.
Installation view of the pop-up MTV VMA art exhibition at the Barclays Center.
Courtesy of Zipeng Zhu and MTV.
Courtesy of Amika Cooper and MTV.
Courtesy of Bronson Farr and MTV.
Installation view of the pop-up MTV VMA art exhibition at the Barclays Center.
Courtesy of Kervin Brisseaux and MTV.
Courtesy of MorcosKey and MTV.
Courtesy of Eugenia Mello and MTV.
Courtesy of Eva Zar and MTV.
Courtesy of Zipeng Zhu and MTV.
Installation view of the pop-up MTV VMA art exhibition at the Barclays Center.
Courtesy of Kervin Brisseaux and MTV.
Courtesy of Bronson Farr and MTV.