A new mural has appeared at Brixton tube station, bringing a burst of sunshine to the station on a very wet morning.
This is Rebirth of a Nation by the young Italian artist Jem Perucchini, and will be on display for a year as part of the Art on the Underground programme.
The artist is best known for his reinterpretations of Renaissance paintings and their often coded messages into a new modern style.
The composition is an allegorical vision in which the past, embodied by a female figure, and the future, her mirror image, meet. Flanked by two men holding spears, the women are distinguished by their sumptuously decorated clothes. One clasps a purple orb; historically a symbol of sovereign power in painting iconography.
The elaborately detailed fabrics are evocative of African wax cloth, a material interwoven with the skill, artistry and identities of the diverse African diaspora. Bathed in the rays of a rising orange sun, the four figures are evocative of a Renaissance altarpiece.
The painting was inspired by the Ivory Bangle Lady, the name given to a wealthy North African lady in her early 20s whose grave was discovered in York a century ago, triggering a debate that still crops up about immigration into the UK.
The mural, Rebirth of a Nation, apart from being a bold colourful painting greeting people as they arrive at Brixton station, also challenges the common idea that Black British history is a modern creation no older than the 20th century, celebrating the long lineage of Black Britons who came to the UK even before the UK existed as a nation state.
Artist Jem Perucchini said: “For me, Brixton represents a microcosm of London, a place where the community creates a local focus. The Underground station then acts as the main pivot between the centre and the periphery, the inside and the outside of the city.
Working on this project has been very stimulating, not only for the opportunity to see my work reproduced in such a large format, but also because of its location in the heart of Brixton, visible by all its inhabitants and those who pass through it.”
The mural will be on display inside the entrance to Brixton tube station until this time next year.
The previous mural at Brixton Underground station was by Shanti Panchal, and previous artists include Joy Labinjo, Helen Johnson, Denzil Forrester, Aliza Nisenbaum and Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
I work in Brixton and always love the striking, beautiful and relevant artworks that grace the entrance to the tube station. I really feel it has the best and biggest artwork of any tube station and I’m grateful for free public art like this. It’s so cheering.