MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Have you ever stumbled upon those bronze statues, scattered around the 14th Street Eighth Avenue Subway Station, showcasing tiny men and whimsical animals?
They're funky little gems that often go unnoticed.
These statues are found in various places, such as beneath stairs and pillars, hanging from the ceiling, and on benches. Thousands of New Yorkers utilize the subway station, passing by it on a daily basis.
The bronze statues are part of a 2001 public art piece by artist Tom Otterness, known as "Life Underground."
“His small-scale sculptures invoke the subway and lore of the city and include an alligator rising out of a sewer to devour a man, workers carrying oversized versions of the tools used to build the subways, and people sneaking under fences to watch the construction or sweep up piles of pennies."
MTAStatues include:
- An alligator coming out of a manhole cover, biting the behind of a person while a man with a moneybag head watches.
- a man with a big money bag sitting quietly on a bench
- A group of men working on top of an overpass
- and a homeless person sleeping while what seems to be a cop watches disapprovingly
Be sure to check out these and other permanent works of art, which can be found scattered around various subway stops. For more information, click here.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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