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Landscapes adrift—cosmically woven and earthly bonded

7 Av (F/G)

Landscapes adrift—cosmically woven and earthly bonded

David Rios Ferreira
Station hallway with mosaic artwork of iridescent turtles along the left wall.
"Landscapes adrift—cosmically woven and earthly bonded" (2023) © David Rios Ferreira, NYCT 7 Av Station. Photo: Pedro A. Estevez

About the project

7 Av  station features mosaic artwork by David Rios Ferreira, titled "Landscapes adrift—cosmically woven and earthly bonded", commissioned by MTA Arts and Design. Installed within twelve niches and the North Mezzanine Passageway, the artwork incorporates elements of science-fiction, the natural world, architecture, and history. Inspired by the station's proximity to Prospect Park, Ferreira drew inspiration from the snapping turtles and red-eared sliders that inhabit the park. These turtles hold significance in creation stories shared by Indigenous peoples such as the Lenape and those of the Northeastern Woodlands, as well as in Hindu and Chinese mythologies, where the earth is believed to be carried on the back of a giant turtle. Building upon this narrative and drawing from his own Taíno heritage (the Indigenous people of the Caribbean), Ferreira's artwork seeks to bridge present-day concepts of home with a shared cultural connection to the planet across time.

Fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, the artwork totals approximately 700 square feet and features amalgamations of abstract and representational images of turtles, drawing from a variety of interpretations found in scientific journals and Indigenous cultures. These images intertwine with re-contextualized depictions of neighborhood maps, buildings, landmarks, and plants. The vibrant backgrounds of the mosaics utilize iridescent glass, creating a captivating shimmering effect reminiscent of swirling algae in lakes, while also evoking a sense of the otherworldly and cosmic.

About the artist

David Rios Ferreira has exhibited in galleries and museums in the US and abroad. He has held solo exhibitions at Wave Hill in Bronx, NY, Morgan Lehman Gallery in New York, NY, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in Brattleboro, VT, and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City, UT. Ferreira has been commissioned by organizations like BRIC in Brooklyn, NY, and Meta Open Arts, and has upcoming public art installations in New York debuting in 2023. Residencies include the Lower East Side Printshop, the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and The Center for Book Arts, all located in New York, NY. He has also participated in professional development programs like Emerge 11 at Aljira in Newark, NJ, and the Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program at the Bronx Museum in Bronx, NY. Awards include a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship and a National Association of Latino Arts & Culture Fund for the Arts grant. He has also been nominated for the United States Artists award and the Joan Mitchell Fellowship. David Rios Ferreira received a BFA from The Cooper Union.