05 April
Art in Metro
Art in Metro
The Brescia metro is not just a transport infrastructure, but a lively urban space, used by thousands of people every day and capable of becoming a meeting place between functionality and culture. From the design stage onwards, the metro and its stations were conceived as an environment open to the city, where architecture, light and materials interact with the daily experience of passengers.
In this context, art naturally finds its place, transforming stations, entrances and surfaces into opportunities for storytelling, identity and vision, and making the journey an integral part of a widespread cultural experience.
It was clear from the early years of operation that Brescia's underground stations, with their simple, elegant, bright and spacious architecture, were well suited to hosting artistic elements that would help give the place an identity. This led to an ambitious and innovative project that aims to bring contemporary art to a high-traffic location such as the underground.
The first permanent works to be installed in the underground as part of the SUBBRIXIA project are '** Gothic Minerva**“ by Patrick Tuttofuoco (San Faustino underground station) and ”**Brixia**' by Marcello Maloberti (FS underground station), two artistic interventions that over time have become characteristic features of the stations in which they are located.
In October 2020, the underground reopened to art with Emilio Isgrò who, on the occasion of the return of the Winged Victory to Brescia, created a work that redraws the silhouette of the ancient masterpiece: '** Incancellabile Vittoria**" (Unforgettable Victory) is a monumental installation measuring approximately 200 square metres, whose subject is the silhouette of the Winged Victory rising from the typical erasures of its most characteristic expressive style. The work was designed and installed on the north wall of the FS Metro station, which stands as a new gateway to the city and a symbol of welcome.
In 2022, art returned to the forefront of the underground with Nathalie Du Pasquier – one of the most multifaceted personalities on the international art scene – who created a permanent installation that, through a mosaic of coloured tiles and geometric lines, transforms the entrance to Vittoria station, giving it new meaning. Entitled “Mind the gap”, this large-scale work invites passengers to change their perspective and open their eyes to a new way of seeing the experience they encounter every day as they pass through and interact with it. The artist's ability to offer new interpretations of space through compositions of shapes and colours is linked in this case to the use of a material commonly found in underground stations, ceramic tiles, reinterpreted with new evocations.
SUBBRIXIA's artistic journey was further enriched in 2024 with “**BrixiaDue**” by Andreas Angelidakis, a monumental, site-specific installation for the entrance to Bresciadue station. Four large Greek columns transform the structural elements of the station into an imaginary archaeological find, creating an evocative dialogue between the ancient city of Brixia and one of the most contemporary and technological places of urban mobility.
Launched in 2023 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Brescia underground and the year of Brescia Bergamo Capital of Culture, the Metro Urban Museum (MUM) is a constantly evolving project that intertwines the language of street art and urban art with the fabric of the city, involving citizens and visitors in an unexpected and everyday journey.
It all began with Luca Font's “Connessioni” (Connections), which in April 2023 marked the first chapter of this artistic revolution with its geometric and minimalist style, intertwining imaginary urban landscapes and symbolic visions of mobility.
In June of the same year, J. Demsky rewrote the museum's visual code with “Hypr Metrobot™”, a digital explosion that seems to emerge directly from the 1980s and 1990s: shapes and colours overlap, evoking the frenzy of arcade video games, the acceleration of our age, and the fusion of technology and urban art.
In November 2024, it was Joys' turn, who with “YARDA” blends lettering and geometry, designing a three-dimensional language that meets the architecture of the warehouse: green, the dominant colour of his work, dialogues with the city, its spaces and those who live in it.
On 1 April 2025, the museum expanded once again, welcoming Peeta, master of three-dimensional painting.
In October of the same year, the MUM welcomed the work “YOU CAN'T STOP THIS TRAIN!” by emerging artist Valentina Picozzi, who brings her cyberpunk style to Brescia, intertwining urban art, technology and freedom of expression in a story that speaks of control, independence and the future.
A museum without walls, without tickets, accessible to all and constantly changing in the Brescia underground depot in Via Magnolini 3.
The Metro Urban Museum is open to the public, subject to booking by writing to comunicazione@bresciamobilita.it.
Visits are organised for groups of minimum 15 - maximum 40 people. Admission is free and the visit lasts about 45 minutes.
Share with
