New Art at Amtrak Installation at New York Penn Station

Debra Simon Art Consulting and Amtrak have announced new, large-scale public art works by Chitra Ganesh and Eirini Linardaki now on display at New York Penn Station. The installations are the latest in the Art at Amtrak series of rotating public art exhibitions, curated by award-winning public art curator and producer Debra Simon. For the first time since the series started at the station, Art at Amtrak has expanded from beyond the Amtrak Rotunda and 8^th Avenue Concourse to the Hilton Corridor.

"With summer ending, and train travel continuing to increase, travelers and visitors can discover Chitra and Eirini's work along their journey for a more inspirational and creative experience," said Art at Amtrak Director Sharon Tepper. "Combining Chitra's work, which celebrates life, with Eirini's work that honors the Amtrak employees who help make Penn Station work, their installations will surprise and delight those traveling for leisure or business."

Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh's new work commissioned by Amtrak, Regeneration, features natural elements rendered in a graphic style that evokes pop culture and comic books. Some of the flora depicted, such as the Rose of Jericho and Welwitschia plant of Southwest Africa, represent resilience, as these plants can survive for long time periods with minimal resources and regenerate after periods of dormancy. Ganesh also includes common flowers, like dandelions and irises, that one might encounter while walking around New York City, and fruits, such as tangerines and olives, that carry specific cultural significance of peace and longevity. With Regeneration, Ganesh hopes "to remind viewers of the vibrant life that thrives in nature, and to reconnect them with elements that transcend the limitations of humanity, ultimately encouraging a regeneration of perspective and a reset of both the mental and the physical."

Regeneration complements Ganesh's Coherence, a video work already on digital screens throughout Moynihan Train Hall, presented in partnership with Empire State Development, through October 14. Together, Coherence and Regeneration comprise the largest public art engagement of Ganesh's career to date. For Ganesh, the Art at Amtrak commissions fulfill a lifelong dream: As a child growing up in early 1980s New York, it was subway art-Keith Haring chalk drawings on black poster paper in the stations, graffiti-covered subway cars-that first made her want to be an artist.

Greek-French artist Eirini Linardaki's new installation, Working Background, is a dynamic tribute to the people who keep New York Penn Station running. "It's very important for me," Linardaki said, "because my dad worked as a bus driver most of his life, and I accompanied him a lot as a passenger, looking at the city through his perspective." Motivated by her personal connection to public transportation, Linardaki met and photographed the station's workers, "from electricians to cleaning personnel, conductors to customer service representatives," to incorporate as the subjects of her murals. Inspired by the energy of the nearby Garment District, Linardaki used fabrics-from Hawaiian shirts to African patterns-reminiscent of the clothing she saw at the station, and digitally collaged and layered these textiles to compose brightly colored tableaus incorporating the workers she met. The large-scale mural panels, while digital, retain a tactile, embroidered texture embodying the "tapestry of the city." Working Background highlights the people who make Penn Station function, and also embraces the rich textures and fabrics of the adjacent neighborhood, making visible the pride these workers take in their roles and acknowledging the centrality of Penn Station to the city's fabric.

More information about Art at Amtrakcan be found here.

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