Losing my Marbles

2003 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E) New York City Transit

Lisa Dinhofer uses representations of toy marbles to challenge our imagination by playing with illusions that alter physical perceptions. Her work spans a 32-foot-long wall and two adjacent side walls. Created in glass mosaic, the main artwork consists of a gold-colored trompe l'oeil frame surrounding a black and white tiled floor that serves as the backdrop for the marbles, which seem to roll toward the viewer. On the side walls, free-floating marbles seem to break free in space. Dinhofer comments, "Every object I paint actually exists; I work from life. The space I create is believable - but not real. Because I design my own space, I call myself an 'illusionist' painter rather than a 'realist'. The space in my work is invented. It's flattened - like the space we see on a television or a computer screen."