Hanging around the ticket hall of Piccadilly Station in this heat may not be top of most people's list of things to do, but Art on The Underground have commissioned a collection of sculptures, digital and printed works to visually refresh the perspiring crowds.
Entitled Pop Will Eat Itself, the collection investigates the idea that art, music and popular culture constantly recycle ideas and concepts to create new works, songs and products. This is the first time Art on The Underground have commissioned a collection of works for display, with Piccadilly Circus being the natural choice because of its existing display windows and proximity to the world famous advertising boards above ground, which churn out their own iterations of pop culture.
The works themselves come from emerging artists, all of whom have a couple of exhibitions under their belts already. One of the windows has been completely blacked out leaving a tiny peephole through which you watch an eerie, animated starfish slowly consume and then regurgitate itself. Sam Plagerson's ceramic J-Lo bust is also discomforting with its disjointed hands and slightly despairing facial expression.
Other works include bold graphic prints that play on Underground imagery, a billboard sized photograph of a male chest and, our personal favourite, a scrolling digital display pairing contemporary album covers and their vintage inspiration.
The exhibition will run until the end of the year so if you’d prefer to wait for the sunny season to end (October, please!) you won't miss out.
Pop Will Eat Itself, 25th June onwards, Piccadilly Circus station ticket hall.
By Claire Gibbs
