A Brooklyn Artist Is Turning Broken Subway Tiles Into Living Art

A handmade chia-covered subway tile has turned neglected MTA infrastructure into a viral public-art project.

Brooklyn artist Eujue has been replacing damaged subway lettering with handmade ceramic interventions. One piece at Delancey St.-Essex St. uses chia plants to form a missing letter, turning a routine maintenance flaw into something closer to living street art. The project has spread online, with more than a million TikTok views reported by the New York Post. Eujue and her brother have also launched NYC Tile Watch, where New Yorkers can flag damaged tiles for potential creative repairs. The idea sits neatly between civic maintenance, public art and internet participation: instead of merely documenting something broken, the audience can help identify the next canvas.