Project Description

Oscar Magallanes was inspired by Century City’s history in the motion pictures industry. Their design for the station artwork weaves together a narrative of stories told through film and the complex histories of the communities surrounding the future station. The design includes references to Mid-century modernism, Mexican muralism, Pre-Columbian geometric forms, movie posters of the ’50s and ’60s, historical records from the history of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), astronomy (nodding to the play on stars and celebrities in Century City street names), and a train in rapid motion. Magallanes combines motifs, colors, and references within the framework of film to capture the passage of time from past to present and sunrise to sunset.

Artist Statement

“Just as many riders will have vastly different backgrounds and histories, we can start to weave those histories together when we take an expansive, nonlinear view of history and time. Through representations of cycles and their acceleration through time and space, the work seeks to connect the past, present, and the foreseeable future.”

About the Artist

OSCAR MAGALLANES (b. 1976, Duarte, California) makes paintings, prints, sculptures, and videos that are often autobiographical to address systemic racism while often incorporating elements of their Chicano identity and upbringing in the Azusa barrio east of Los Angeles. Magallanes earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2017 and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2021. Their work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Mexico and is in the collections of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Long Beach, California; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago; San Antonio Museum of Art; and La Salle University Art Museum, Philadelphia, among other institutions. In addition to their solo practice, Magallanes is a founding member of the 3B Art Collective, which has produced public art projects throughout California, Texas, and Mexico.