Heart of London Business Alliance’s cultural initiative, Art of London, is celebrating the return of Art After Dark with a new, illuminated public art attraction transforming Piccadilly Circus for two days. The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain has been decorated with thousands of flowers, and meditative video art will be projected as over 40 art galleries stay open late on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June for the two-day culture programme.

Art After Dark is a free and seasonal arts programme uniting world-class institutions and the finest independent galleries across the West End to keep exhibition doors open late into the night. 

Set to transform Piccadilly Circus as night falls, Amelia Kosminsky’s video artwork, titled ‘Sparks of Nature’, will screen on the Piccadilly Lights and feature a striking sunset, with hues of lilac, orange and yellow, to give the public a moment of tranquillity in one of London’s busiest areas. 

Kosminsky’s stunning visual art has inspired world-renowned florist Phillip Corps  to decorate the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain with vibrant flower beds, accompanied by an illuminated terrarium.

In partnership with Westminster City Council and Landsec, Art of London’s new public art attraction aims to inspire West End visitors to discover the world-class art inside the galleries. As the curtain falls on this summer’s two-day art spectacle, which will showcase over 6,000 flowers and plants, Art of London will donate the floral display to the charity Thrive and for reuse in local communities. 

Art After Dark, created in partnership with Mayfair Art Weekend, will feature London’s most acclaimed independent galleries shaking up the art scene on Thursday, including Cristea Roberts, 3812 Gallery and Stern Pissarro, while on Friday members of the public can absorb the culture at the Royal Academy of Arts, National Gallery and, finally open to the public after its three-year closure, the National Portrait Gallery.   

“There is so much action and life in our great city but sometimes the pace can be overwhelming,” said Kosminsky. “I wanted to create work that gives the public a moment of calm, a pocket of peace where they can stop, take a breath and observe something quietly beautiful within an urban environment. Bringing summer and nature to Piccadilly Circus has been a wonderful experience and I cant wait for people to enjoy it.”