In 1977 a young Swedish photographer named Willy Spiller arrived to New York City. As a photo journalist, he rode the gritty underground subway to quickly get from downtown to Lincoln Center for different assignments. Those subway rides are the colorful setting for Spiller's captivating photographs that document his fascinating underground travels, in his photo book Hell on Wheels.
The 150-page book traces Spiller's time, and sometimes bizarre interactions, on the subway, where we get an authentic taste of the madness, contrasting cultures, and relentless energy of New York, through the lens and curiosity of a foreigner. Spiller's fascination with the Big Apple, its people, the neon lights, the movement, and the constant rush are as much a visual document of this incomparable realm as they are a colorful poem to the city of New York and its people.
Captured on Kodachrome slide film, Spiller’s visions of the city’s sordid underground transportation system fall right in line with other pioneers who first documented New York in color.
