London-based artist Kinga Markus is taking the time to document the spaces in every tube station across the capital – yes, all 270 of them. In fact, her recent Kickstarter campaign was such a success that she smashed the target in no time.
From stairwells to facades, tunnels to escalators, she’s attempting to draw our attention to the beauty in our underground network – so effortlessly ignored by millions each day.
The lengthy task sees her pottering around London using charcoal to make A3-size etchings of the place that her instinct draws her to. “I draw what excites me and hopes that it will translate in the drawing,” she says.
As things stand, she is currently about a quarter of her way through her project, with seventy drawings lining the walls of her Harlesden studio. “People already introduce me as ‘the tube lady’ – and I am happy to keep that title for a while longer.”
Here’s hoping that Kinga’s continued sketching around the city, encourages us frantic commuters to pay a little more attention and spend a bit more time appreciating what is around us. And hasn’t this sketch of Bermondsey worked a treat?
