After work the other night I took a ride on the subway to see Santiago’s “MetroArte”. I had noticed paintings and sculptures in several stations as I explored the city on Sunday, and I later discovered a section about it in my guidebook, recommending it as an easy way to see contemporary Chilean art. Line One in particular has art in nearly every station, and since work finishes late, it was a good way of seeing more of the city late in the evening after all the other museums are closed.
Visiting the works of art in the Santiago subway is not like visiting a museum. It’s hot and loud. The art is, in many cases, right next to the platform, so people can see it when they are waiting for their train. Your nose itches from the bad air quality. You have to walk up and down stairs, and get on and off crowded trains, to see the art. And there are lots of people passing you by, on their way home for the most part at this time of the night, paying no attention to the art. In fact, people thought I was a little bit strange, stopping and taking pictures in the subway at 9 o’clock at night. But the “tour” was more than worthwhile.
I saw murals, paintings, tiles, and sculptures. My favorite was the set of oil paintings of scenes from all different parts of Chile, from Santiago, to the mountains, to the sea (Chile is dominated by it’s long Pacific coastline and equally long Andes mountain range). See my pictures and more about the art by clicking on the picture.
