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If you work in the Westminster area, your daily commute just got a bit more arty. A new artwork called ‘Angels of History’ has been unveiled at St James Station.
Created by artist duo Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, the colossal six-part mosaic is installed permanently in the Grade I-listed station’s atrium. The pair chose to use traditional Roman techniques to create the mosaic and, considering each panel is 1.5 x 1 metres in size, that’s certainly quite the feat. Two triptychs depict angelic figures set against desolate landscapes in muted colours.
Quinlan and Hastings explained the meaning of the figures in an interview, saying: ‘St James's Park is a station predominantly used by commuters working in and around the Westminster area, often in positions of governance or the civil service. We were interested in the function of the figure of the angel in public spaces such as in churches where it operates as a figure of divine intervention’. According to the artists, the angels are inspired by Michelangelo’s five Sibyls in the Sistine Chapel.
‘Angels of History’ was commissioned by Transport for London’s Art on the Underground initiative, a project that aims to turn the tube into its very own art gallery. Showcasing offerings from London’s contemporary art scene, the scheme is behind the huge mural at Brixton station and several others across the city. For the tens of thousands of people that pass through St James’s station every day, ‘Angels of History’ is set to inject a bit of culture into the daily commute.
Explore more from London’s ‘Art on the Underground’ series: Brixton tube station has a spectacular new public artwork
Another art piece has popped up at King’s Cross.
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