LADY PINK: MISS SUBWAY NYC

D’STASSI ART PRESENTS

LADY PINK

MISS SUBWAY NYC

Exhibition 18 July to late September 2025

Location D’Stassi Art, Shoreditch, London

Format Solo Exhibition

D’Stassi Art presented Miss Subway NYC, a landmark solo exhibition by Lady Pink that continued the gallery’s exploration of the artists and culture that shaped the legacy of New York graffiti.

Opening in July 2025, the exhibition transformed the gallery through a full scale recreation of a graffiti covered New York subway environment, placing Lady Pink’s work within the visual and cultural landscape from which her practice emerged.

Bringing together original works, new commissions, archival material, sketches and ephemera, Miss Subway NYC offered audiences in London an immersive encounter with one of the defining figures of the movement.

About the Artist

From subway trains to an international painting practice.

Born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, Lady Pink, Sandra Fabara, began writing graffiti in 1979. By the early 1980s she had become one of the most visible and respected figures within the New York graffiti scene.

Working within a culture that was overwhelmingly male, Lady Pink established a distinctive presence through ambitious subway works and a fearless visual language that helped establish her reputation internationally.

Her appearance in the seminal film Wild Style, alongside exhibitions at major institutions including the Whitney Museum, further established her place within the history of graffiti and contemporary art.

Across the decades her practice has continued to evolve, carrying the energy of the street into painting while engaging with themes including feminism, identity, resistance and resilience.

Lady Pink and Lee Quiñones in Wild Style — Sandra “Lady Pink” Fabara and Lee Quiñones in *Wild Style* (1982). Photo courtesy of Charlie Ahearn.

The Exhibition

Recreating the environment that helped shape a movement.

Miss Subway NYC was conceived as more than a conventional retrospective. The exhibition immersed visitors in the atmosphere and visual language of the period in which Lady Pink’s practice first developed.

At its centre was a reconstruction of a 1980s New York City subway station, incorporating graffiti, period references and environmental details that connected the artworks directly to the context of New York street culture.

The installation provided a setting for a curated selection of Lady Pink’s work, including new commissions alongside archival pieces, sketches and material connected to her early career.

Lady Pink artwork for Mom and Popism — A work by Lady Pink created for *Mom & Popism*, a 2009 Gawker Artists exhibition, based on photographs from James and Karla Murray’s book *Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York*. Photo by James and Karla Murray.

A Moment of Continuity

Continuing D’Stassi Art’s exploration of New York graffiti history.

Miss Subway NYC formed an important chapter in D’Stassi Art’s programme, continuing the gallery’s work with artists whose practices helped shape the foundations of street and urban art.

Following the gallery’s work with Angel “LAII” Ortiz, the Lady Pink exhibition created another connection to the artists and visual languages that emerged from New York’s downtown graffiti culture.

Together, these exhibitions created a bridge between generations, recognising the artists who helped define a cultural movement while examining the continued relevance of their work within contemporary art.

From the Founders

“Lady Pink is a true icon. This exhibition is not only an honour for the gallery, but a continuation of the story we began with Angel Ortiz, exploring the roots of Lower East Side graffiti and celebrating the pioneers who gave street art its soul.”

Michael Howes and Edward Sanders, Co Founders of D’Stassi Art

Launch Party