This is now a fan account for Stockholm subway art

Sweden takes Easter very seriously. Despite the population's low rates of religious observance, it's a double stat holiday, a 4 day weekend, and an emptying out of public life and public spaces. Well, not all public spaces. There is always the immortal subway.

And my god, it's a stylish one. Principled funding for art in tunelbana stations, plus a building spree, has made for 100 stations with weird stuff in them. It is, in the city's words, "the world's longest art exhibit." 

Sometimes that looks like a nice mosaic here and there, or a little sculptural installation snuck into a stairwell. So far, so standard to any New Yorker.

Tiny subway tiles--nice!

But this system really enters a league of its own when you get to the more recent stations, which are not fitted into normal human walls and square boxes of inhabitation. As a budget-saving and aesthetic-maximizing measure, they are composed of just roughly hewn bedrock, covered in sprayed concrete, and extravagantly painted.
 

It's like a knitted mitten pattern for the ceiling

The colours are generally quite bold, with local scenes and some social commentary sprinkled in for good measure. The first impression, though, is colour colour colour: the likes of which would only be chosen by an eccentric heiress on tiktok who definitely doesn't rent.

Yes the sky/ceiling is Doom III Red, but still somehow very friendly?

Of course there is also the big gay rainbow platform, built in the part of town where the pride parade musters ever year. Apparently it was the first of the bedrock stations, and they thought an incredibly cheerful sky motif would ward against feeling like you were in a spooky cave?

I am in a very fun cave!

And the spirit of whimsy extends on to this station, which features a fake grotto, dramatic spot lighting, and very camp plastic plants.

What's this???

 

Ruins, but make 'em silly.

The whole system's a delight to use and gives getting lost and needing to change stations a pretty shiny silver lining. 

North America: if we stopped widening our highways, we could have nice things!