About
In the fall of 2008, Service Changes Gallery celebrated the opening of a new unauthorized exhibition on the C/E 23rd St. Uptown subway platform in New York City. Curated by Jen Small, Jason Eppink, and Charlie Todd in association with Improv Everywhere, the exhibition—still on view—presents a collection of works by and in collaboration with MTA employees, contractors, and anonymous artists.
Agent Small:
The three Europeans who stumbled on to the gallery seemed really tickled. They took a picture with our cellist, and asked me which art I recommended. The man was just bubbling with excitement as he went to look at “Caged Women”.
In the course of making the art labels, the mundane stuff of the platform really did become weirdly compelling and beautiful. I wasn’t sure if everyone else would have that experience, or if we would be busy consciously pretending that these random objects were art. In the course of the event, some other friends who came made brilliant observations about the pieces that helped bring my mindset firmly back into of-course-this-is-art, rather than viewing the subway as a collection of quick fixes over time. It’s wonderful how we can decide to create a collective reality, and how it can sometimes catch us up within itself. I’m glad other folks also got caught up in “Wow.. This might really be art!”, and that some non-agents got such a kick out of it!
Agent Lindquist:
I think my favorite piece of the evening was the performance art titled “Woman sitting on bench, ongoing.” It was great to watch the people not involved in the mission sitting on the bench watching us watch them. Where did life end, and art begin? Where did art end, and life begin? The people sitting were totally confused. Finally, one woman looked up at the placard behind the bench, chuckled a bit and got up. The look on her face when she discovered that she was a performance artist was amazing!
More at http://improveverywhere.com/2009/03/18/subway-art-gallery-opening/