Creativity can even transform construction sites into vibrant modern art galleries. This is exactly what happened in Piazza Venezia, Rome, where the Venezia Station of Metro Line C is under construction. Here, the first of six installations from the Murales. Contemporary art in the metro project has been unveiled, turning the construction site into an open-air museum.
But examples of construction sites transformed into art galleries are not lacking. Let’s discover a few of them.
Cool Construction, Copenhagen
During the expansion of its metro network, Copenhagen launched the Cool Construction project, transforming more than 20 construction panels into canvases for national and international artists. Since its launch in 2011, with over 100 urban workshops held annually, the initiative has attracted visitors to the Danish capital, eager to admire this unique form of art.
Procession, San Francisco
Since 2014, when work began on the new Central Subway station in Chinatown, the San Francisco Arts Commission has collaborated with local artists to beautify construction site barriers and transform them into an open-air art gallery. Among the most renowned works is Procession by Jason Jägel, a mural depicting a vibrant parade of colorful, cartoon-like characters immersed in scenes of urban transportation.
Allongé, New York
In 2015, Zaha Hadid designed Allongé, an impressive installation for New York’s High Line, located near the construction site of a building she herself conceived. The 34-meter-long installation features silver fabric draped over a curvilinear metal structure, creating a ‘pedestrian tunnel’ along the High Line, beautifying the area and protecting pedestrians.
Human Nature, Milan
In 2021, Milan’s Santa Giulia neighbourhood became the starting point for a traveling urban regeneration project, with construction site fences transformed into the backdrop for Lucas Foglia’s Human Nature series. Featuring themes of sustainability and urban renewal, 40 large-format photographs were displayed along a 200-meter path, inviting passersby to reflect on the pressing challenges facing our planet.
Sansom Art Walk, Philadelphia
In 2022, the Sansom Art Walk was unveiled in downtown Philadelphia, the largest street art installation in the area, featuring original works created by 11 local artists on the construction site fences of the Somi 1620 residential project.
Murales, Rome
Rome’s Metro Line C hosts the “Murales. Contemporary art in the metro” project, an initiative involving six internationally renowned artists showcasing their works on the massive silos of the Stazione Venezia construction site. Promoted by the consortium of companies building the metro, led by Webuild and Vianini Lavori, with the support of the Municipality of Rome and in coordination with the relevant Superintendencies, the project debuted with Costellazioni di Roma by Pietro Ruffo. ‘It is a terrestrial map of Imperial Rome combined with a celestial map that interacts with one another,’ explains the artist. ‘The work aims to offer, on one hand, a concrete image of what Rome was like two thousand years ago, and on the other,’ Ruffo concludes, ‘an abstract reflection tied to astronomy.’
