ruby onyinyechi amanze
Hyperallergic

ruby onyinyechi amanze’s new mosaic installation May Your Road Be Light and Fun (2026), unveiled in the corridor connecting the 2, 3, 4, and 5 subway lines at Borough Hall subway station, has been featured in Hyperallergic by writer Anna Lee. Spanning 110 feet, the work was commissioned through MTA Arts & Design and developed in collaboration with Miotto Mosaic Art Studios. The mosaic translates more than a decade of amanze’s drawings into ceramic tile, combining imagery from approximately 15 to 20 works created since 2012.

 

Rather than following a single narrative, the installation assembles recurring motifs from amanze’s practice — including swimmers, birds, bicycles, aliens, architecture, leopard-headed figures, and references to paper itself — into a collage-like composition set against a white background reminiscent of blank parchment. Reflecting on themes of movement and migration tied to her experience living between Nigeria, England, and the United States, as well as years spent navigating New York City’s transit system, the artist explained that “The title comes from that combination of referencing movement, journeying, magic, surprise, and delight”.

 

The article notes that May Your Road Be Light and Fun marks amanze’s first public artwork, despite drawing from 14 years of her practice on paper. Developed over several years alongside mosaic artist Stephen Miotto, the installation transforms the artist’s intimate drawings into a monumental public environment intended to bring moments of levity and joy to commuters. Miotto expressed his hope that “Maybe this piece will change someone’s day,” while amanze added, “In my drawings, my characters are happy and content, while doing mundane things. There’s a levity to that.”