Underground artist's work is on the Tube

ADRIAN JENKINS

A BURTON artist has taken his work underground by exhibiting it on the Tube.

Two canvases by Alistair Kennedy, of Shobnall Street, have been chosen to be displayed on billboards at two London Underground stations.

The work, The Surgeon and Histological Slide Study, is part of an exhibition called Art Below, which has given 19 selected artists from all over the world the opportunity to show their pieces to thousands of commuters every day.

The pieces are on display on platform one at Baker Street Station, on the Metropolitan line, and on platform one at Paddington Station, on the westbound stretch of the District line. They will remain on show until Friday, July 17.

Mr Kennedy, 36, a married father of a two-yearold- son, said the works were taken from a recent solo exhibition at Burton's Brewhouse arts centre called Vicious Bulwark, which was heavily influenced by medical imagery.

He said: "It's a real buzz to see my work on display at such a prominent location. Literally thousands of people will see these images over the next few weeks.

"I spend so much time in my studio doing this work and don't really get much time to connect with people and then, all of a sudden, I'm getting international recognition.

"It's just so exciting and hopefully I'm going to go down on Monday to see them." Mr Kennedy, who trained at Sheffield Hallam University, adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to his work, which includes film, installation, photography and painting.

A solo exhibition of the artist's work is currently on display at Derby Royal Hospital, formerly the Derby City General Hospital, and another is planned to be staged at Burton Library, in Riverside, later this year.

Copies of Mr Kennedy's work can be bought from his webpage at www.artbelow.org.co.uk.