Leading black artist unveils Brixton station mural

Three Women centres on the 'black female experience, TfL said

A mural by Turner prize nominee Claudette Johnson has been unveiled at Brixton Underground station.

Three Women is the artist's first public work and follows a series of murals by other artists previously exhibited at the south London station as part of Transport for London's (TfL) Art on the Underground programme.

The project has been running since 2018 and echoes local murals painted in the area in the 1980s.

The mural, Johnson said, loosely references Picasso's 1907 painting, Les Demoiselles D’Avignon.

"I am fascinated by the power that emanates from these postures and this is borne from my longstanding interest in women, power and how we claim space in places where we have been absent, obscured, caricatured or denied," she added.

The artist is best known using a range of media to create large-scale drawings of black women and her involvement as a founding member of the BLK Art Group.

Three Women is a three-part artwork known as a triptych, that features subjects referenced in one of her previous works, Trilogy.

Claudette Johnson's Turner Prize nominated work is on display at Tate Britain

Eleanor Pinfield, Head of Art on the Underground hoped it would be "enjoyed by millions".

"Claudette Johnson’s new artwork honours the Black female experience through this bold triptych, continuing Art on the Underground's exploration of contemporary responses to muralism at Brixton station.

"Johnson combines a monolithic scale with an intimacy in our encounter with her subjects," Ms Pinfield added.

Some of Johnson's work is currently included in The Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain, alongside fellow nominees Pio Abad, Jasleen Kaur and Delaine Le Bas. The prize will be awarded on 3 December 2024 at a ceremony at Tate Britain.

Works by by Denzil Forrester, Joy Labinjo and Njideka Akunyili Crosby have previously been exhibited as part of the Art on the Underground project at Brixton station.