Should metro stations, many built with bathroom-like tiles, low ceilings and harsh lighting, strive only for functionality and efficiency? Or can they double as public, immersive art spaces that add a little bit of aesthetic cheer – and civic pride – to the daily commute?
That was the question asked in the early 1990s by prominent Italian contemporary art critic Achille Bonito Oliva. No surprise – he thought that stations that looked like oversized toilets were demoralizing to commuters and a lost opportunity for artists and architects.
