Art on the Underground back to 'bring joy' in 2026

Art on the Underground is returning in 2026 with five new pieces commissioned for different sites around the TfL network.

The Deputy Mayor for culture and the creative industries, Justine Simons said the annual project had shown how public art can "bring joy, spark conversation and connect our communities".

Simons added that the works will "enrich our journeys and amplify untold stories that celebrate the diversity and resilience of our capital."

TfL said the theme of the art this year "explores omissions from public space", for example "the lost waterways of London, the lost venues that have supported voices in the city and the hidden labour of night-time workers."

The art and where to find it:

• Bethnal Green and Notting Hill Underground stations: In March London-based artist, Phoebe Boswell will launch a large-scale photographic artwork inspired by local Black swimming communities
• Tube Map (everywhere): American artist Ellen Gallagher will explore colonial landscapes and marine mythology in her design for the 42nd pocket Tube map
• Waterloo Underground station: An audio instillation will run for 10 days in the summer by London-based composer, artist and DJ Ain Bailey
• Stratford station: A largescale artwork by Scottish painter Caroline Walker, spotlighting women who work on the TfL network at night, will be introduced at Stratford station in September
• Brixton Underground station: A new mural will launch at Brixton Underground station by painter Hurvin Anderson in November

Eleanor Pinfield, Head of Art on the Underground, said: "These works, and our wider programme, continue to shape, direct and honour how we collectively experience and remember place – whether that be our local community or spaces we travel through at different times of our lives."

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