Artist Firelei Báez’ work displayed in Washington Heights subway

Firelei Báez’ latest project won’t be gracing the walls of a gallery, museum or art fair. Instead one can find her thought-provoking new work in the 163rd Street subway in New York’s Washington Heights.  

The tiled walls of the subway platform are now vibrant with Báez’ latest tribute to the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. 

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts & Design, Báez – who grew up in Miami  — made it a priority to focus on the Dominican population of the neighborhood and cater to its history and culture. 

The art is titled “Ciguapa Antellana, me llamo sueño de la madrugada (who more sci-fi than us)” (2018). It depicts many plants and trinkets familiar to the people of the Dominican Republic, including azabaches and plantain trees.

Báez explains, “Because it is a public work, I wanted a certain level of transparency… I wanted Dominicans to just revel in it.”

For a video interview, click here.