A fantastic flash of colour will be greeting travellers at Wivenhoe Station this summer, thanks to a new exhibition as part of Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership’s ‘Art Off the Rails’ platform gallery project.

Station Platform: Urban Conversations is a new series of art works created specifically for Wivenhoe Station by artist Ella Johnston. Her striking and bold works, inspired by the art of New York graffiti artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, explore the encounters we have when we leave the comfort of our own homes.

Ella said: “The exhibition seeks to capture the excitement, hope, and possibilities that outside influences and interactions can bring. I hope they evoke the potential for good or bad that we can offer to others when we leave the house and travel by train.

“I chose this series for the station platform to bring bright, bold colour to the space and encourage travellers to reflect upon their time away from home. I’ve layered the bright and vivid colours that clash and combine to not only evoke the life and breadth of conversations, but also to ponder on the contradictions and reflections of those exchanges and meetings when away from home.”

Jayne Sumner, Rail Engagement Manager for the Essex and South Suffolk CRP, said: “We love Ella’s bold and beautiful images which are currently welcoming people to Wivenhoe across the station this summer.

“The Essex and South Suffolk CRP is all about finding new and innovative ways of encouraging people to travel by train, and to protect and create healthy environments at stations. The quirky gallery spaces at Wivenhoe are very much part of that!”

Urban Landscapes will be running at Wivenhoe Station until 17 September 2023. Find out more about artist Ella Johnston via her website.

Keep up to date with future news, projects, and events from Essex and South Suffolk CRP via their website.