For years, the MetroCard has been a simple swipe into the city’s vast transit system. Now, as the card is phased out, it’s finding new life as a canvas for artists capturing the spirit of New York.

From the Brooklyn Bridge to CBGB and the iconic blue Anthora coffee cup, artist VH McKenzie paints detailed oil scenes onto the tiny plastic cards.

“They take some time to dry, and they get a little messy, but when they are done you have a really nice original oil painting on a very small surface,” said McKenzie, who says she still has 1,600 MetroCards left to work with.

What You Need To Know

The “Inspired by MetroCard” exhibit is on view at the New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central gallery through Oct. 26

Artists are using MetroCards for paintings, collages, mosaics and even clothing

The MetroCard, introduced in 1994, is being phased out across New York City transit

The MetroCard, introduced in 1994, is the focus of a new exhibition at the New York Transit Museum’s gallery and store inside Grand Central Terminal.

Titled “Inspired by MetroCard,” the show explores how an everyday object has been transformed into art and design.

“Some are people who make collages, some are people who paint on the MetroCards, some are people who make paintings and incorporate MetroCards into them,” said Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum.

The exhibition also features garments made from MetroCards, as well as artwork using actual cards created by well-known artists.

Nina Boesch has been creating MetroCard collages for 25 years, working in scales ranging from a single card to hundreds fused together. Her supply is far from running out.

“I actually have around 90,000 MetroCards, about 70,000 of them are in a storage unit, 10,000 at home,” said Boesch, who says she could logistically be working with MetroCards for another 20 years.

Artist Juan Carlos Pinto turns MetroCards into mosaics, often depicting birds like Flaco, the owl that became a sensation in Central Park, as well as species found in Prospect Park.

Even with a large stash of cards, Pinto says his time working with the material may be coming to an end.

“The freedom it’s like the birds, it’s time to do something else,” said Pinto, who also uses tiles for his mosaics.

As the MetroCard nears its final stop, the exhibit shows how a once-ordinary object can take on new meaning — preserved not just as a relic of daily commutes, but as art.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 26.