Moco Museum London will be hosting a major exhibition, Voice of the Street – Keith Haring’s Subway Drawings, opening 18th March for a three month residency. Step into the heart of New York’s 1980s subway and experience the energy, immediacy, and rebellious spirit of Haring’s iconic chalk drawings in a recreated subway environment.
The exhibition explores the raw, urgent beginnings of Keith Haring’s practice through 30 of his iconic subway drawings created in New York City between 1980 and 1985, offering a glimpse into the bold, public world where his art first came to life.
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Before international recognition and gallery walls, Haring made the New York subway his laboratory. Using white chalk on blacked-out advertising panels, he produced thousands of uncommissioned drawings in stations across the city. These works were immediate, public, and often erased within hours. They were not studies, but complete acts, made fast, without permission, and meant to be seen by everyone. Haring himself said: “Art is for everybody,” aiming to reach as many people as possible in the places where they live, travel, and wait.
The exhibition presents these drawings as more than early works. They are performances, social statements, and acts of connection. In the noise and movement of the subway, Haring created moments of stillness and recognition. His recurring symbols, such as radiant babies, barking dogs, and crawling figures, formed a universal visual language that transcended culture, class, and literacy. Several authentic attributes referencing the New York subway are incorporated throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition is structured around five core themes:
The subway as stage – Haring used the subway as a site of performance, confrontation, and visibility, where the city itself became the audience
Universal language – Through simple, repeatable symbols, Haring developed a visual vocabulary capable of carrying complex political and social meaning
Art without permission – Uncommissioned and unsanctioned, the subway drawings embodied resistance, ephemerality, and belief in art as action rather than possession
Speed and intuition – Created under pressure, the works reveal Haring’s reliance on muscle memory, rhythm, and instinct, drawing faster than thought
Silent protest, joyful resistance – Against the backdrop of 1980s New York, marked by the AIDS crisis, political conservatism, and social tension, Haring responded with radiant joy and quiet defiance
The exhibition also contextualises the works within Haring’s life and legacy, highlighting his commitment to accessibility, activism, and public engagement. From his Pop Shop to his advocacy for AIDS awareness and LGBTQ+ rights, Haring consistently rejected exclusivity in favour of connection with others.
Voice of the Street – Keith Haring’s Subway Drawings invites visitors to encounter these drawings not as relics, but as living gestures, acts of care, urgency, and belief in the power of shared space.
