“Not in Service” by OSGEMEOS transforms the humble subway car into a portal of nostalgia, rebellion, and fantasy. Installed at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, this sculptural work by Brazilian twin brothers Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo captures a slice of 1980s New York graffiti culture through the unmistakable lens of their yellow-skinned characters and exuberant style. Every detail—from the graffiti-tagged surfaces to the expressionless, watchful faces of the passengers—tells a story of subversion and survival, joy and isolation.
The piece invites viewers to pause and step into a moment frozen in time. Three central figures emerge from the car, chained to the handle as if they’re both captive and guardians of their mobile realm. One sports flared yellow pants and an afro beneath a trucker cap that reads “Frosty Fresh,” another wears a “Space Invaders” t-shirt, while the third clutches a spray can, mid-tag. A fourth figure peers out from further down the car, gazing with curiosity or caution. OSGEMEOS’s distinctive blend of street art, cultural memory, and cartoon surrealism blurs boundaries between realism and fantasy, street life and high art.
This piece is part of a larger body of work that honors hip-hop, graffiti, and resistance. It reflects how public transit, especially in New York, became a canvas for voices marginalized and a stage for self-invention. “Not in Service” both memorializes and animates that legacy through its vibrancy and immersive scale.
The installation invites us not just to look, but to listen—to the rhythm of the streets, the call of youth culture, and the enduring creative defiance etched into steel and paint. It’s a monument to movement, memory, and imagination.
