It feels like forever since Glass has been able to announce a local project- let alone a local project that combines glass with occult mysticism and inclusive spirituality. Nothing could sound more New York. The Brooklyn-based creators of Abstract Futures are known together as Hilma's Ghost, a tribute to early spiritualist and abstract painter Hilma af Klint, and separately as Sharmistha Ray and Dannielle Tegeder. Their multi-media oeuvre blends multiple cultures and their spiritual practices, as well as paying homage to queer life. Abstract Futures, an intricate glass mosaic representing several tarot cards in shifting colors and shapes alone, will be unveiled in Grand Central Station this month.
The glass Abstract Futures is largely inspired by the first tarot project created by Hilma’s Ghost in 2021, in which all 78 cards of a full tarot deck were redrawn, and in select cases, repainted, as abstractions of themselves rather than the stylized figures and structures we’ve been used to. Tarot gained prominence as an occult art throughout the Victorian era and hit mainstream- or something like it- with the publication of the Rider-Waite deck in 1909, and has since been considered by self-described spiritualists as not just a means to uncovering the future, but the identity of the person themselves and their subconscious desires.
The abstract movement originated at around the same time- many argue that the first abstract paintings in the world were Hilma af Klint’s Paintings for the Temple in 1906- and acted as a different approach to unlocking the human consciousness. Lacking a definite subject, abstraction forces the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the work, which many believe reveals the viewer’s emotional instincts depending on what they see or feel. Building on this, Hilma’s Ghost points out in a press release available on the MTA website that “traditional decks have depicted a monocultural perspective of race, while abstract symbols are designed to be inclusive.” Ray and Tegeder confirm, in a phone interview with Glass, that this element was key in reaching their audience. “This story could be the story of an immigrant, it could be anyone’s story,” says Tegeder. “It’s about a single day in New York that anyone can connect with.”
And what a story it is. Lacking 78 walls, or even 22 just for the Major Arcana, five cards were pulled in order to create this short narrative of city life on five walls in Grand Central Station. From left to right, the day begins in a blaze of glory, with ‘The Fool’- symbolizing new beginnings- depicted as vertical slashes of hot pinks and reds. Ray explains that in accordance with sacred geometry, vertical lines stand for upward progress and direction. Progressing sideways through the work, the vivid sunrise palette gives way to muted earth tones, indicating the appearance of the Wheel of Fortune- changes in luck or lifestyle, and here representing the Fool of earlier becoming accustomed to the turning wheel of society and grounding themself in reality. Seeing as this is a spiritual progression, it is only right that there is a happy ending- the final wall blends different elements of the full celestial realm, with the blue-drenched moon and stars (symbolizing what Ray calls the shadow self, the repressed unconscious) giving way to the sun, or the joy of the universe. It is an agreeable journey for those seeking respite from the rat race on their way to the 7 train.
Back in 2023, paintings turned into glass when Ray and Tegeder were invited by the MTA Arts & Design Agency to submit a proposal for the 600 feet of blank space located at Grand Central’s 42nd St/3rd Ave entrance. They could do anything they wanted, as long as it was glass. Glass mosaics are notoriously durable- due to their moisture resistance and ability to weather changes in temperature- not to mention New York subway crowds aren’t noted for their slow pace and gentle mannerisms. Ray and Tegeder maintain careers as independent multimedia artists outside of their collective work, and Tegeder’s previous experience in glass emboldened the pair to take on the challenge. Both are painters, with an intricate understanding of color-emotion dynamics, and both frequently dip into the abstract, but in branching out into other mediums, Tegeder’s highly geometric mobiles of glass and metal differ from Ray’s vividly colored hand embroidery on cotton.
Neither Tegeder nor Ray had attempted a mosaic before, although the ancient history of the craft was appealing to two practicing spiritualists. Tegeder pointed out that mosaics can be traced back years and years to Mesopotamia, and that “glass has a transcendent quality. People keep it in secret places. Like with stained glass” Together they enlisted skilled fabricator Stephen Miotto of Miotto Mosaics, who cut hundreds of glass pieces of all shapes and sizes for Hilma’s Ghost to approve. “He’s a master,” Ray tells me. “We met with him several times upstate, but he does work in Italy as well. We went to his workshop there to refine the colors- as painters, we knew we had to stay true to the relationships between shapes and colors. The final version has a tremendous amount of nuance in the color palette.”
Ray and Tegeder tell me that they view Grand Central Station as a portal, even more so now, capable of taking people on spiritual journeys. “It is the traditional hero’s journey,” Ray says, “but put in motion at a time where things are being disrupted. We wanted to build a piece that was larger than us.” Neither were able to choose a favorite card when prompted. I don’t think I could choose one myself- it’s too risky to choose wrong.