Feminist art collective Hilma's Ghost, composed of artists Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray, inaugurated a 600-square-foot mosaic mural titled "Abstract Futures" at the 42nd Street entrance to the 7 train in Manhattan's Grand Central Station. The unveiling, held during Frieze Week, included a ritual where the artists chanted whispers into the colorful glass artwork to charge it with spiritual energy. The collective, which began working together during lockdown, draws inspiration from Swedish spiritual painter Hilma af Klint and debuted at New York's Armory Show in 2021. The mosaic, commissioned by MTA Arts and Design and fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, incorporates symbolism from tarot cards.
This installation matters because it brings contemporary feminist and spiritual art into a highly visible public transit space, merging mystical feminine energy with everyday commuter experience. The project reflects a broader trend of artists reclaiming forgotten feminine traditions and pre-Christian goddess worship, while also highlighting the growing influence of artist collectives in public art commissions. The work's placement in Grand Central Station, a major transit hub, ensures it reaches a vast and diverse audience, potentially sparking conversations about spirituality, feminism, and abstraction in public art.