12 months ago
The tube can be dreary (to say the least). But next year that’s not going to be the case in Brixton, because TfL have announced new art!
A total of 6 artists will be featured at various stops on the underground next year, show casing their art through various mediums like photography, audio and mosaic work. Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, has said
“Art on the Underground is renowned around the world for transforming our Tube into a large public art gallery. Next year will see the partnership between contemporary artists, communities and history continue, bringing to life stories of diversity, culture and design from across London. I am confident that these striking artworks will be a welcome addition for commuters and visitors as they travel through the city, helping to build a better London for everyone.”
In November, Claudette Johnson has been asked to produce a new mural for Brixton station. Johnson is a founding member of the Wolverhampton-based BLK Art Group and has been a formative figure within the UK’s contemporary art scene. The work is expected to challenge stereotypes of race and gender and will be as politically striking as it is aesthetically striking. This will be the 8th commissioned artwork in the station, which has had murals since 2018.
The tube isn’t the end of Brixton’s representation, however. Rita Keegan, co-founder of Brixton Art Gallery, is producing a pocket Tube Map which will be released in 2024. Keegan will be looking at the iconic fabrics of the tube seats to produce her work which will explore memory, history, dress and adornment through multiples textures and mediums. The publication of the map will coincide with the 100th birthday of Althea McNish, a crucial profile in British textiles, in August.
