Yunhee Min | Metro Art Purple (D LINE) Extension Transit Project

Artists selected for Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project

"A panel of nationally recognized curators, local arts professionals and community members from the Purple Line Extension Section 2 and 3 project areas has selected artists to create site-specific, integrated artworks for the future Wilshire/Rodeo, Century City/Constellation, Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations.

The diverse range of accomplished artists includes: 

Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio (Century City/Constellation Station) 

Moses X. Ball (Westwood/UCLA Station) 

Sandow Birk (Westwood/VA Hospital Station) 

Sarah Cain (Century City/Constellation Station) 

Victoria Fu + Matt Rich (Westwood/VA Hospital Station) 

Karen Hampton (Westwood/UCLA Station) 

Phung Huynh (Century City/Constellation Station) 

Oscar Magallanes (Century City/Constellation Station) 

Yunhee Min (Westwood/UCLA Station) 

Meleko Mokgosi (Wilshire/Rodeo Station) 

Rigo 23 (Wilshire/Rodeo Station) 

Gala Porras-Kim (Westwood/UCLA Station) 

Analia Saban (Century City/Constellation Station) 

Francesco Simeti (Westwood/VA Hospital Station) 

Eloy Torrez (Westwood/VA Hospital Station) 

Devon Tsuno (Wilshire/Rodeo Station) 

Iris Yirei Hu (Westwood/UCLA Station) 

As part of a competitive process, the artist selection panel carefully considered each artist’s professional qualifications and examples of past work. Panelists included: Arthur Lewis, Creative Director, United Talent Agency Artist Space; Anna Sew Hoy, Chair, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, Department of Art; Cate Thurston, Associate Curator, The Skirball Cultural Center; Connie Butler, Chief Curator, The Hammer Museum at UCLA; Jean Tardy-Vallernaud, Founding Chair, Century City Arts Council; Ken Gonzales-Day, artist; LeRonn P. Brooks, Associate Curator, The Getty Research Institute; Michael Amescua, artist; Stephanie Vahn, Chair, Beverly Hills Arts and Culture Commission; and Thao Nguyen, Art and Design Agent, Creative Artists Agency. 

'Growing up in Los Angeles, certain images are seared into my memory – streets lined with white flags during the 1984 Summer Olympics, the space-age, rainbow tile mosaics at LAX’s terminals, and the portrait murals of LA Philharmonic members that preside over the Harbor Freeway. I believe that the art selected for Metro’s Purple (D Line) Extension project will have a similar effect on our community, offering resonant imagery that we will absorb and ponder as part of our daily lives,' said Anna Sew Hoy. 

'I came to see each artwork concept as a portal and a presence that will greet us, invite reflection, and enliven our day as we move across distances both great and small. Informed by both the past and the present, these artworks will create something new and vibrant and will shape the city of the future, which will be made richer by acknowledging our history, and be transformed by an imaginary of place and time and artworks that will surely stand the test of time,' said Ken Gonzales-Day.  

'This project is so important and vital in preserving the ideas of our time and democratizes access to art. The selected artists and their work mirrors the diversity and vibrancy of our culture and communities and celebrates LA as a truly world-class creative capital,' said Thao Nguyen. 

'The panelists’ thoughtful consideration, community insights and enthusiasm were invaluable in the selection of this phenomenal group of seventeen artists,' said Maya Emsden, Executive Officer (Interim), Metro Art Program. 'We are excited by how this range of artists encompasses many generations and cultures, and how that will be reflected in the work they create for our riders.'

The artists join nine artists selected earlier for the future Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega stations: Eamon Ore-Giron, Fran Siegel, Mark Dean Veca, Karl Haendel, Ken Gonzalez-Day, Susan Silton, Todd Gray, Mariana Castillo Deball, and Soo Kim. 

Stay tuned for future meet-the-artist events and activities hosted for the public at cultural destinations in the Purple (D Line) Extension project area. Click here to receive information about upcoming Metro arts and cultural programs. 

Click here for more information about Metro’s art program, including our popular docent-led art tours and cultural programming. You can also follow Metro Art on Facebook and Instagram." 

By Heidi Zeller, 4 May 2022