With Wink, Takashi Murakami introduced his brand of Japanese “neo-pop” to busy Grand Central Station, where his cartoon installation humorously disrupted the classical Beaux-Arts architecture of Vanderbilt Hall. Murakami’s three inflatable sculptures—two giant “eyeballs” and a cartoon character named Oval—were suspended from the ceiling, while two additional floor sculptures, echoed the motifs of the ceiling sculptures.

The eyes depicted on each sculpture were distinctively different in size and expression; each one pointed in a different direction so as to emphasize the hectic bustle of Grand Central’s commuters. Floating serenely overhead, the balloons cast a lighthearted, winking glance at the curious and amused passersby.

Photograph by Robert Wilson, MTA Arts for Transit

Takashi Murakami

Wink

Grand Central Station

2001