Walking around London can get a bit boring sometimes. Sure, there’s lots to see, but when you’re commuting the same route every day, things tend to get a bit dull. To remedy this, the Mayor of London is partnering with artist Yinka Ilori to paint over 11 different crossings in Tottenham Court Road and the City of London with colourful styles and designs.
Ilori is a London based artist of British-Nigerian heritage, and fuses aspects of this mixed heritage together in his artwork. His art is often very bright, bold and vivid, and he’s certainly taken this colourful approach to the new crossing designs. The artistic initiative was started to help attract visitors and tourists to the area in order to support and strengthen the capital’s retail and hospitality sectors in the aftermath of the pandemic. The project also involves a collaboration with University of the Arts London students.
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Commenting on the project, Ilori said “At a time when we all need light and joy, I hope my installation brings people together to create joyful and harmonious moments that live in their hearts forever.” The newly painted crossings have bright, eye-catching designs, which stand out against the usual greys of London’s pavements and roads. Sadiq Khan has also passionately supported the project, commenting “Get yourself down to central London to see it for yourself—and to make the most of the world-class culture, fashion, film and art festivals happening all across London.”
The newly painted crossings have bright, eye catching designs, which stand out against the usual greys of London's pavements and roads...
The project began work several weeks ago, and Tottenham Court Road isn’t the only place getting zebra makeovers. Several other areas of London have seen crossings being repainted, such as Piccadilly Circus, which got a painted crossing designed by Vanessa Jackson. On Tottenham Court Road, all of the painted crossings feature the same design, but in other parts of London there’s an array of different styles featured, so there’s plenty to see as you go travel London’s streets.
Currently, the Tottenham Court Road redesigns are only temporary, with the crossings scheduled to be painted this way until Summer 2022.
After months of lockdowns and misery, they are certainly a nice break from the monotony of endless Covid news. Whilst they may only be a small change, they’ll at least brighten up London as it continues to recover from the struggles it and the country has faced since last year.
For more information on artist Yinka Ilori, visit his website at
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