Art Below & Crucifixions: Francis Bacon

Art Below is featuring posters of drawings by Francis Bacon from 'The Francis Bacon Collection of the drawings donated to Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino' at stations including St.Paul's, Green Park and Bond Street. Drawings of Popes and also a Crucifixion drawing feature on the posters. The original drawings can be seen at St Stephen Walbrook until 31 March.

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train.

Lent Exhibition: Stations of the Cross

Art Below presents an exhibition of 20 artists representations of the Passion of Christ in London's St. Marylebone's Parish Church for 40 days, in support of the Missing Tom Fund. Among those exhibiting will be commission4mission member Christopher Clack.

Opening on the 6th March, the exhibition will run for 40 days to coincide with Lent. The exhibition will be open to the public whilst the works are also intended for prayer and meditation within the parish congregation.

To coincide with the exhibition, public arts enterprise Art Below will showcase all 14 works on
billboard space throughout the London Underground at stations that have a symbolic link with the theme, including King’s Cross, Marylebone, Marble Arch, St. Paul’s, Angel, Temple and Tower Hill.

‘Stations of the Cross’ is the second exhibition to be curated by Art Below founder Ben Moore to raise proceeds for the Missing Tom Fund. With the support of his family and the Missing People Charity, Moore set up the Missing Tom Fund in 2013 to raise money for the search for his older brother Tom who has been missing for 10 years. 

The first exhibition highlighting the Missing Tom Fund was the hugely acclaimed ‘Art Wars’, which was held at the Saatchi Gallery in October 2013 and featured artists including Damien Hirst, David Bailey, Yinka Shonibare and Jake and Dinos Chapman.

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Good Charlotte - The River.

Labyrinth - Mark Wallinger

Mark Wallinger has created a major new artwork for London Underground to celebrate its 150th anniversary. The result, entitled Labyrinth and commissioned by Art on the Underground, is a multi-part work on a huge scale that has been installed in every one of the Tube’s 270 stations. Wallinger sees the commission as a unique opportunity to explore the potential of the Underground as a whole. Wishing to forge a poetic link with the Tube’s rich history of graphic language, he has made a work that sits comfortably alongside the two of its major design icons, the roundel and Harry Beck’s Tube map, and yet stands out as a new symbol marking the Tube’s 150th year.

Above is a photo of the labyrinth (No. 151) installed at our local tube station, Newbury Park.

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David Bowie - As The World Falls Down.

Ross Ashmore: Cataloguing the mundane

Ross Ashmore has embarked on an ambitious task of painting all the London Transport Underground Stations- of which there are 267. “I realise for me this has to do with my commercial past. I was always under pressure to deliver on time, except this time I had created my own brief and deadline.” To coincide with this year's 150th Anniversary of London Underground, he will finally complete all the paintings, of all the stations, this summer. “I love the Underground. I love the concept of going below ground and resurfacing somewhere else."

“I believe that art is a powerful form of expression. That an artist should be honest, passionate and have conviction about his work – much at odds with the commercial world I had come from and today's obsession with perfection. I didn't want to be chocolate box. The gesture of painting, the process, is just as important to me as the image. Every painting is an action – making the mark in paint creates energy and conveys emotion – it creates the mood – it begins to take on a life of it's own. I love the physicality of painting. Many artists today are so obsessed with perfection and technique they don't look like paintings at all.”

“The mass produced commercial world is so concerned with perfection – 'everything was airbrushed out!' In contrast I began to appreciate being different, embracing individuality – freedom of expression. This view is what drives and inspires me today. It's the ordinary things in life, the mundane that I want to catalogue in my work. With all the relentless change, very soon, we may forget the way things were.”

Ross Ashmore: Going Underground is at SPACE art gallery (141 High St, Southgate N14 6BP) until 5 April. Open: Mon-Fri 17:30-19:30, Sat and Sun 12:00-16:00.

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The Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight.

Christmas in London

I've just got a copy of the latest Step Outside Guide which is the seasonal Christmas in London - a family adventure day. The Step Outside Guides are little books that give you a BIG day out! With clear maps and instructions which let your kids lead the day out, they are guides to fantastic free-to see days exploring London which begin and end at tube stations!

In Christmas in London Jennie and Christopher Wren escort you on a detective trail, discovering elements from the story of the First Christmas, which you can stick on the stable scene. Which London Square is home to a shepherd and his sheep? Where can you find real gold, frankincense and myrrh? Let Jennie and Christopher show you!

As you travel, little wrens point out some of the beautiful golden ornaments on London’s buildings. They have stickers too, to decorate a Christmas tree in the book.

Then as darkness falls, you arrive at Trafalgar Square and enjoy the tree, the crib scene and a very special painting, before taking a sparkly bus ride along some of London’s most beautiful Christmas streets.

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The Pogues - Lullaby Of London.