Project Description

Mark Dean Veca’s artwork concept for the station platform draws from the art deco details of the nearby Wilshire Tower building and the past and present geology of the Miracle Mile neighborhood through stylistic references to barley fields and tar. Emerging from the “tar,” transit customers will see everyday objects cherished by people who live and work in the area. Evoking movement and playfulness, the layered imagery will be fabricated in porcelain enamel steel and extend down the length of the station platform on either side.

Artist Statement

“Tar is inextricably linked with the identity of the Miracle Mile and Hancock Park. As the trains will be traveling underground through tunnels that have been dug in and around ancient tar deposits, my surreal artwork will acknowledge the reality of the surrounding geology.”

About the Artist

MARK DEAN VECA (b. 1963, Shreveport, Louisiana) is known for his bold-lined, 
surreal paintings and installations inspired by pop culture, decorative arts and art history. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design, and his work has been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Long Beach Museum of Art, Orange County Museum of Art, PS 1/MoMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He is the recipient of awards from the Crocker Art Museum, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts, among others. 

Locations: Wilshire/La Brea