Post-it relief has returned.
Artist Matthew “Levee” Chavez brought back his “Subway Therapy” art piece to the 14th Street-Sixth Avenue subway station this week in response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Within minutes of setting up his display in the tunnel connecting the Sixth and Seventh avenue lines on Thursday afternoon, straphangers began to flock to his table, picking up Post-it notes and expressing their feelings about the recent white supremacist rally.
Stephanie Veras, 20, of the Bronx, said she was moved when she passed by the wall of colorful notes and just had to contribute to it.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s important to show support and love to the people who are feeling neglected and unaccepted in society,” she said.
Chavez said 60 notes were put up on Wednesday, when the new edition of the project began. The pop-up will be back at the station beginning Friday at 2 p.m. and more times are planned, according to the artist.
Chavez first began the art piece in 2016 and it gained momentum in November following the presidential election. Thousands of subway riders left messages at the 14th Street-Sixth Avenue and Union Square stations, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Chavez, who has brought the art display to cities in Europe, said he wanted to help New Yorkers deal with the raw emotions they may be feeling following the events in Charlottesville.
“Now that it’s been about a week, I’m really interested in people learning from that experience and having conversations. I think this space is a place where people can express, where they can feel,” he said.
Sofia Riba, 24, an actress from Bushwick, placed a Post-it during the post-election session of “Subway Therapy” and wrote another note this week. She said the recent messages had a more somber tone, due to the violence that took place, including the death of Heather Heyer.
“The stuff that I’m reading is more heartbreaking than what I read in November. There is a lot of anger and outrage,” she said.
Still, Riba said she was proud of the show of force represented by the wall of Post-its.
“The city is so incredibly strong when it comes to times like this and crisis,” she said.
