"Plan B" for Vanderbilt Hall

Seeking to stretch the definition of painting while stretching the imaginations of New Yorkers, internationally acclaimed artist Rudolf Stingel created an enormous painting on the floor of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall — 27,000 square feet of wall-to-wall pink and blue floral carpet titled "Plan B."

The artist uses customized commercial carpet, similar to that used in upscale hotels or Las Vegas casinos, to emphasize the greater potential of ordinary materials and add new splendor to the daily routine of New Yorkers.

"Plan B" combines fantasy and minimalism to transform Vanderbilt Hall into a new reality, with the installation accentuating the vast scale of the space while the carpet texture affords moments of comfort and quiet to commuters and pedestrians. "Plan B" not only delights but changes the experience of this familiar setting, encouraging visitors to consider what was there previously, what is absent, and what is possible in our public spaces.

"I am interested in materials and surfaces carrying specific meanings that are extracted from their usual context," said Stingel. "Textiles, carpet, and its relation to home are one example. Does the carpet transform into a gigantic painting or does the institution become a private space? The floral pattern I chose is a kind of archetype, so familiar indeed that we would never be tempted to ask who the designer was. One could say, by letting it spill out and by its scale, I unleash the potential of anonymity.”

"Plan B" — on display July 1 through July 29 — was commissioned by Art Production Fund, and the New York City installation is presented by MTA Arts for Transit and Creative Time. A second installation is at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis.

Rudolf Stingel was born in Merano, Italy. His work has been exhibited in prominent exhibitions both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, in the exhibition "Singular Forms," and in a one-person exhibition at the Museum for Monderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany.

MTA Arts for Transit, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, administers many visual and performing arts programs to increase the attractiveness of transit facilities and to highlight Grand Central — which has over half a million visitors each day — as a destination in itself. Arts for Transit presents exciting, large-scale installations at Vanderbilt Hall.