by
Metro Art
April 3, 2026
Three site-specific artworks have been designed for our new Wilshire/Fairfax Station, creating an immersive, gallery-like experience for riders – and an imaginative gateway to Museum Row that surrounds the station.
Wilshire/Fairfax Station is opening May 8 as part of the D Line Extension Section 1 – along with two other stations at Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/La Cienega. We’ll take a look at the artworks in those stations in future Source posts – with this post focused on the artworks that you will soon see at Wilshire/Fairfax.
Karl Haendel – Entrance Plaza & Intermediate Levels
- The artwork combines photography with hyper-realistic pencil drawings.
- You will see the hands of people who live and work in the neighborhood holding objects from the collections of the surrounding museums and cultural institutions.
- The artist specifically chose objects that are functional, spanning time from the prehistoric age to the present, and were made or designed in the LA region.
- Will you be able to guess where the objects come from and who is holding them? The Bolex camera is part of the Academy Museum collection and is being held by an employee of the El Rey Theater on Wilshire Boulevard. The shovel with tar is from the La Brea Tar Pits Museum and is being held by the Principal of Hancock Park Elementary School. Can you identify other objects in the artwork?
- The artwork celebrates the cultural and generational diversity of the neighborhood and encourages riders to make connections between their transit experience and area destinations.
Ken Gonzales-Day – Concourse Level
- The artwork imagines: what if all the objects from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) permanent collection sunk into the tar pits and then emerged and were discovered.
- The objects are clustered in orbs to resemble the methane bubbles in the tar bubbling to the surface. The background is dark at the bottom and gets lighter at the top
- Many of the objects in the artwork are very small in real life and can be held in the palm of your hand, but the artist made them larger than life, giving the rider an opportunity to see details up close.
- Every object in the artwork is related to the concept of transformation; the artwork encourages riders to think about museum collections and their connections to the outside world in unexpected ways.
- Just like the museum transports you through time and place with encyclopedic collections, Metro transports the rider to many different destinations throughout L.A. County.
Susan Silton – Platform Level
- The artwork has bright colored stripes, which have a social and cultural significance throughout history and have been featured in other artworks by the artist.
- You will see subtle messages in English, Korean and Spanish – the predominant languages of the neighborhood poems and phrases about hope.
- The artwork is titled WE,OUR,US and invites riders to think about individuality and diversity while considering our shared experiences as humans.
- The artwork is inspired by the idea of transit stations as places where people from all walks of life come together.
- This artwork includes over 100 unique Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors. The Pantone Matching System is a universal color guide that helps ensure colors look the same no matter where or how they’re printed.
The artists were commissioned through an open, competitive process, with a panel of nationally recognized curators and arts professionals from the area.
About Metro Art
Metro Art enhances the customer experience with innovative, award-winning visual and performing arts that encourages ridership and connects people, neighborhoods and destinations throughout L.A. County. A diverse range of site-specific artworks is integrated into the growing Metro system, improving the quality of transit environments and creating a sense of place.
To read full article and see the video interviews visit link here.