Located near Third Avenue, in the street-level entrance to the 7 train at Grand Central-42 St     , “Abstract Futures” by Hilma’s Ghost is a 600-square-foot glass mosaic depicts a cosmological map of transitions and renewals that speak to the shared experience of every commuter. Fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, the artwork explores themes of portals, journeys, and personal transformation and a journey that is both physical and spiritual. Using abstraction and color symbolism, “Abstract Futures” speaks to anyone moving through New York, whether for a single day or over the course of a lifetime.

The mosaic unfolds across three segments, each inspired by archetypes from Hilma’s Ghost’s Abstract Futures tarot deck. The first segment introduces “The Fool,” shown stepping into New York City with courage and creative intent. Bright reds, oranges, and pinks convey energy and possibility, reflecting the feeling of arriving in a city full of ambition and imagination. Earthly greens, ochres, and browns, ground the image in the material world. In the central segment, ‘The Wheel of Fortune,’ suggests ‘The Fool’ has come down to earth suggesting the ups and downs of daily life in the city, where fortunes continuously rise and fall. The final and largest segment moves into the spiritual and cosmological realm. A crescent moon and star represent shadow selves, or challenges one must move through to reach clarity and growth. Blues and purples transition to a radiant sunrise, representing renewal. When the narrative reaches “The World,” light returns, signaling regeneration and the start of another cycle.

Together, the three segments form a universal story—a hero’s journey shared by every commuter who passes through the station. By portraying New York as a place where every individual’s story interweaves with millions of others, the artwork celebrates the city’s capacity to inspire, challenge, and continually reinvent those who move through it. 

Hilma’s Ghost is a feminist artist collective founded by Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray that fuses contemporary art with modern spirituality to critique gendered power structures and recover feminist histories, producing work that spans paintings, drawings, surrealist games, a tarot deck, ritual installations, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and artist books. Since emerging during the 2020 pandemic, the duo has completed more than 20 collaborative projects, participated in more than 80 public programs worldwide, launched an itinerant art-and-magic school with more than 10,000 participants, and developed the popular Abstract Futures Tarot, now in its third edition. Hilma’s Ghost has been featured in solo, collaborative, and group exhibitions and projects in New York at The Guggenheim, Marlborough Gallery, and The Armory Show; nationally at The Shepherd, Detroit, MI; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, CT; Secrist Beach, Chicago, IL; and The Parallax Center, Portland, OR; and internationally at Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil; and Galería RGR, Mexico City, Mexico; among many others.