Visitors to Westminster tube station will now be greeted by a brand new permanent work of art by Larry Achiampong, a reimagined tube roundel.
Achiampong’s artwork re-imagines the tube roundel replacing the traditional red and blue design with Pan African colours. The green, black and red reflects the land, the people and the struggles the African continent has endured, while yellow-gold represents a new day and prosperity. He incorporates 54 stars arranged around the edge of the roundel, representing each of the 54 countries of the African continent joined in union.
The colours redolent of Africa also stand out against the otherwise grey concrete entrance box.
Larry Achiampong is a British Ghanaian artist whose work often explores postcolonial themes and the idea of a post-human existence, and there are a couple of signs to explain his latest art commission, on one side of the top and bottom of the entrance stairs.
This is not the first time that Achiampong’s artwork has been shown at Westminster tube station. Back in 2019, eight new roundel designs were displayed across the tube station as temporary artworks. However, the tube roundel added today is intended to be a permanent work of art for the station.
The paper tube maps handed out in stations also features his design on the front cover at the moment.
Achiampong explains that his work with Art on the Underground since 2019 is intended to “explore imagination and a sense of connectedness between the African diaspora, and to reconsider their often forgotten or erased contributions to the city.”
Anyone know why Westminster station specifically keeps getting African inspired roundels?
Larry Achiampong currently has an exhibition at the Turner Contemporary in Margate, in case the above has whetted any appetites! It’s an easy train ride on HS1.