Art in the Stockholm subways

Before I came to Stockholm, I was making a mental list of things I wanted to do and see and the art work in the subway system was one of them. Yesterday I spent several hours riding the rails and getting off when I saw an interesting spot. I took the blue line from T-Centralen and rode up toward Akala, getting off at Kista and then heading back south. I would love to continue the adventure and wish I could spend more time here.

These are some of the images I captured yesterday, way down underground. It was amazing.

 

The blue line at T-Centralen.

 

The Stockholm subway system is said to be the world's longest art exhibit - 110 kilometers long.Traveling by subway is like traveling through an exciting story that extends from the artistic pioneers of the 1950s to the art experiments of today.

Over 90 of the 100 subway stations in Stockholm have been decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 artists. The Kungsträdgården subway station looks like an archaeological excavation, with the remains of the old Stockholm Makalös palace. At Östermalmstorg the artist Siri Derkert highlights women's rights and peace and environmental issues.

~via VisitStockholm.com

 

I was traveling alone, as my son was at work the entire day. This was an adventure for me as I am not an accomplished subway rider.

 

Beautiful mosaic tiles at Vastra skogen.

 

I went up to see what it looked like above. To get up, I had to ride two super long escalators. I had never seen escalators this long. This photo was taken at the section of break between them.

 

And then I went back down again.

 

 

This one is amazing.

 

This is Solna Centrum.

 

Every inch of wall and ceiling space have been painted red. Landscapes accompany the artwork on the walls.

 

I could have done this all day.

 

This is the final one I will show you. It’s the stop at Nackrosen.

 

It feels like I am in  pond here.

Simply amazing.

 

I wish I had more time to spend in this beautiful city. If you are planning on visiting Stockholm, I cannot recommend the subway art tour enough. You have to see it and feel it to truly appreciate it. I found out after coming back to the apartment and reading up on it that they actually offer tours. According to the VisitStockholm website, these are the best of the artworks.

Blue line:
Kungsträdgården
T-centralen
Rådhuset
Solna Centrum
Tensta

Green line:
Hötorget
Thorildsplan
Bagarmossen

Red line:
Tekniska Högskolan
Stadion

Maybe I can hit a few more while I am here . . .

Hope you enjoyed!