Platforms Piece, Bronze statues at Brixton railway station, United Kingdom
Platforms Piece comprises four life-size bronze sculptures distributed across the platforms of Brixton railway station. The figures portray local residents and are positioned so that passengers can view them while waiting for their trains.
Artist Kevin Atherton created these bronze figures in 1985 as part of a station improvement project commissioned by the Public Art Development Trust. A fourth sculpture was added in 2023, again portraying a local resident who had been depicted nearly four decades earlier.
The sculptures portray Black British people in a public space viewed by thousands of commuters daily. This represented a significant shift in how Black British citizens were represented in London's public realm.
The sculptures are spread across different platforms at the station, so you may need to walk around to see them all. It works best to view them during less busy times or when you have extra time between train journeys.
The original third figure was eventually replaced with a new composition, showing how living public art projects evolve over time. This change reflects how artistic vision adapts as circumstances and communities develop.
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