Taking Notice of Airport Art

The Canyon, Gordon Huether, 2020

Are you one of those travelers who rush through airports, train and metro stations to your designated gate/quay as soon as you clear Customs and TSA? If so you may have missed some interesting and intriguing artworks which are now mainstays in many terminals around the world. The Louvre-Rivoli metro stop in Paris displays replicas of sculptures from its museum collection like the Venus de Milo. And I recently found out that there is an archaeological museum at Istanbul Atatürk International Airport. So if you have some time to spare, check out the beautiful works of art at your next airport, train/metro stop.

The Canyon installations span 362 feet and are made of 500 individual tensile membrane fins with an aluminum frame wrapped in fabric material. Huether was inspired by the canyons of Utah and how light transformed the rock formations. He brought his impressions to the new terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport complete with an immersive light experience.

High Heels for Going to Heaven, Yayoi Kusama, 2013,

San Francisco International Airport

“A polka dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless and unknowing. Polka dots become movement .... Polka dots are a way to infinity.” Yayoi Kusama

Pantopol, Ted Jonsson, 1972

Seattle International Airport, Concourse A, curvilinear stainless steel tubing

Suvarnami International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand

Dancing Crane by Leonard, Incheon Intl. Airport, Terminal 2

The Dancing Crane, a bird in flight, symbolizes Incheon Airport.

Spider, Louise Bourgeois, Incheon Intl. Airport, Terminal 1

Lichtraum ( Light Space), James Carpenter

Lighting by Christian Bartenbach

Munich International Airport, Terminal 1

Replica of the statue of Alexander the Great, Istanbul Atatürk Intl. Airport

There is an archaeological museum inside Atatürk Internațional if you have time to check it out between flights.

Flight Paths, Steve Waldeck, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl. Airport

This $4 million tree canopy art installation by Waldeck is underground between concourse A and B in the domestic terminal. It also incorporates sound effects including bird calls, crickets chirping and a thunderstorm to mimic a rainforest experience.

Corncorde, Craig Nutt, Hartsfield-Jackson Intl. Airport, Concourse E

At Train and Metro stations

L'Heure de Tous, Armand Pierre Fernandez, 1985, Gare de l’Est, Paris

Angel Bear, Richard Texier, Gare du Nord, Paris

Copies of Impressionist paintings, Osaka Metro Station

L’Ange Protecteur, Niki de Saint Phalle, Zurich Bahnhof

Orpheus, Krum Damyanov, Sofia Intl. Airport Metro Station

Why do airports, train/metro stations expend money for these precious artworks? Consider it a welcome mat for those who pass through the airport. It also helps to relieve the stress and chaos of going through airport lines and delays and all the hassles passengers have to endure when departing for a carefully planned vacation or business trip or returning from a beautiful trip. So these artworks are for all of us travelers. Let us enjoy them.

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Images by TravelswithCharie

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