A 600-square-foot mural inspired by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint has been installed in the New York subway. The mosaic, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design, is the first public commission by Hilma’s Ghost, a feminist artist collective co-founded by Sharmistha Ray and Dannielle Tegeder. Titled Abstract Futures (2025), the mosaic is located at the 42nd Street/3rd Avenue entrance to Grand Central Station, serving the 7 train on the Flushing line.
Drawing from tarot iconography and the artists’ ongoing interest in spiritual symbolism, the work is presented in three segments, each depicting a stage in a symbolic commuter journey. The piece reflects on transformation and renewal through abstraction and color, connecting everyday urban life with metaphysical themes.
The first segment features “The Fool,” a tarot archetype that represents risk-taking and new beginnings, expressed through a composition of reds, pinks, and oranges. The second segment, depicting “The Wheel of Fortune,” introduces earthy tones meant to convey grounding and change. The final and largest section, located near the fare array gates, includes celestial imagery such as the moon, the star, and the sun, culminating in “The World”—a tarot symbol for integration and renewal.
“This mural represents a new way of seeing the city—a journey that is both physical and spiritual,” Tegeder and Ray said in a joint statement. “It’s about the connection between people, spaces, and time, and intended to provide a powerful reflection of what New York represents to us all. The city is at once a sprawling metropolis with millions of people, but also a dynamic network of interconnectivity. As we make our way through a single day in New York, we connect with so many people from so many walks of life. The density of the mural’s imagery, pattern, and color is a metaphor for the endless diversity of the city that is its heartbeat. It is that diversity that is what makes New York so special.”
The glass mosaic was fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios and forms part of Grand Central’s broader station rehabilitation effort. According to MTA Arts & Design interim director Juliette Michaelson, the mosaic is designed to engage subway riders in a moment of reflection. In her eyes, the work is “designed to honor the ebb and flow of New York’s diverse population and celebrate the resilience, grit, and ambition of the people who bring the city to life.”
Hilma’s Ghost was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by af Klint, a pioneer of spiritual abstraction, the duo critiques gendered power structures and seeks to center underrepresented spiritual practices in contemporary art. Their first collaboration was a tarot deck titled Abstract Futures, now in its third edition with approximately 1,500 copies in circulation.Their work has been featured in exhibitions at the Guggenheim and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, among others.
