Metro Tunnel brings world-class art to the daily commute

The major public artworks that will feature at Melbourne’s five new underground train stations will create a world-class art trail when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.

The permanent works were revealed to the public for the first time earlier this month, marking another huge milestone for the city-shaping project.

They range from an eight-metre-high etched glass landscape featuring Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women at State Library Station to an abstract textured tile installation at Parkville Station.

The creators of the works are among the nation’s foremost artists, chosen by an expert advisory panel including leading figures from Victoria’s creative industries.

Each work has been created with its location and the people of Melbourne in mind.

Arden Station’s Come Together, by Sydney-based multi-disciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah, features two large-scale aluminium hands reaching out to each other, set against graphic mosaic tiling that depicts historical imagery of the area.

Internationally renowned artist Patricia Piccinini’s Vernal Glade at Parkville Station is a collage of vibrant hand-glazed ceramic tiles that acts as a gesture of care to the users of Melbourne’s leading healthcare and research precinct.

Contemporary artist Danie Mellor has used photographic images of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women in his work for the main entrance at State Library Station. His work acknowledges Victoria’s First Peoples and honours their social, familial, and cultural contributions to Melbourne.

Further south at Anzac Station, Rafaat Ishak’s bright and colourful Future Wall Painting at the station’s Albert Rd entrance features abstract representations of iconic St Kilda Rd landmarks, such as 19th century tent cities and the Shrine of Remembrance.

Finally, pre-eminent First Nations artist Maree Clarke has created a line-wide artwork called Tracks featuring a collection of oversized animal footprints, modelled on the tracks of Kulin Nation animals. The footprints will be stamped across the platforms of the five new underground stations.    

Permanent artworks have also been installed at the Metro Tunnel’s two entrances at Kensington and South Yarra.

Metro Tunnel project director Ben Ryan said the artworks would add a cultural dimension to the Metro Tunnel stations. 

“The artworks will give everyone who passes through the stations the opportunity to engage with world-class art and design every day,” Mr Ryan said.

“The works will add to each station’s identity and help create welcoming places that brighten people’s day.” •