Several community members gathered to celebrate the opening reception of “NYC Faces in Motion, a multimedia art exhibit by Clare Stokolosa, on Friday, May 15, at Zaruma Gold Coffee, located at 11-18 46th Rd. in Long Island City.
The artworks at the exhibit depict subway riders and the objects they often carry in their travels. NYC Faces in Motion helps viewers experience the journey shared by approximately 3.4 million commuters across New York City and other connections beyond.
Viewers of NYC Faces in Motion are transported to the New York City subway via videos, pastel drawings of objects from the paintings and sounds from the urban environment.
The pastel drawings were created on newsprint containing references connected to each item. One such example is “Deep in Thought,” a drawing of headphones with dangling wires that was created in an advertisement for apps on the New York Times.
“I’m so excited to have in here Clare’s art exhibition.” Zaruma Gold Coffee CEO Diana Aguilar said. “Since the beginning, we are supporting all the local artists because they paint art that is a good combination with a coffee place. The community loves the art.”
The series of objects were inspired by Stokolosa’s larger-than-life-sized paintings “Praying on a Train,” “Woman with Dog,” “Chit Chatting with Friends,” and “I Left my Phone at Home.” Some of these larger paintings are on display at the Pfizer Plant, a landmark building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
NYC Faces in Motion will remain on display through Tuesday, June 5.
The exhibit was coordinated by LIC Arts Open Co-directors Richard Mazda and Norma Homberg.
“I am so pleased that I received the New York State Council of the Arts grant to produce work in 2026 and to continue this project, and I am so grateful to the Long Island City Arts Open, who represented me to put in for this grant,” Stokolosa said. “You will notice that the sounds are collected from the environment, from the subway, from outside walking on the street. So, take a listen and stay tuned for new work.”
