Exclusive | NYC artist’s creative quick fix for cracked subway tiles goes viral

Cracks aren’t wack.

The MTA is more than a transit system for New Yorkers — it’s a lifeline that keeps the city going. But with over 8 million residents and riders, things are bound to break. 

Now, one Brooklyn artist has uncovered a way to turn at least one of the system’s structural flaws into art — a cracked tile at a time. 

Eujue, no last name, recently went viral on social media with a post that snagged over a million views — showing her replacing a broken “E” tile at Delancey St.-Essex St. station, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The tile wasn’t restored with the boring black text. Instead, Eujue exchanged it with her own live creation — a ceramic square where the “E” is made with living chia plants. 

Eujue told The Post she got the idea after remembering a poem she read back in college — All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Richard Brautigan. 

“This speculative world described a future where plants, animals, and technology coexisted in harmony. This pushed me to want to build speculative objects that existed in a post apocalyptic future; a world where plants reclaim spaces that were once theirs,” the nature-loving New Yorker told The Post.

The Brooklynite doesn’t want missing tiles to be seen as a maintenance problem anymore. She encouraged artists to be inspired by this moment to “shape the city around them.”

“NYC has always been a place where artists shape the city’s culture, and I hope our public spaces can reflect that. I’d love to make the everyday places we move through feel more cared for and more connected to the people who live here,” she said.

Delancey St. was just the beginning. 

Eujue and her brother built NYC Tile Watch — a website where New Yorkers can report missing or damaged subway tiles. The site was created so routine subway upkeep and public art could coexist. 

Once a report is made, local artists can fix the broken tiles by turning them into their own creation, bringing life into the dingy subway stations.

The movement is gaining traction — even catching the attention of Mayor Mamdani. Eujue said she is currently in conversations with the Mayor’s team and the MTA — about how NYC Tile Watch could potentially develop into a formal program. 

As of today, the Korean-American said that her site has accumulated 24 approved reports.

Subway riders can fill out a public interest form which will help gauge local artist interest in NYC Tile Watch website.

“The missing “E” tile was a small change, but it made me think about how many overlooked spaces we pass by everyday,” the artist.

The widely-shared TikTok that made Eujue famous already has thousands of comments supporting and celebrating her movement — and making her a bit of a superstar on her socials.

In just a week, Eujue has gained thousands of likes, a plethora of new followers and become a local “subway hero.”

“This is NYC. Art moves our city I love it, it’s soooo NYC,” one user gushed.

Another chimed in, offering to do what New Yorkers do best — help.

“What if we New Yorkers pitch in watering them too! That way they live a little longer,” they said.

For Eujue, it’s just the beginning. The Gothamite told The Post she’s working hard to make sure New Yorkers and visitors feel a kinship to the space that surrounds them.

“I’d love to make the everyday places we move through feel more cared for and more connected to the people who live here,” she said.