Östermalmstorg subway station

Situated approximately 23 meters below sea level (roughly 75 feet), Östermalmstorg is the third deepest subway station in Stockholm’s metro system. The station, completed in 1965, lies in the heart of the city’s poshest and most expensive boroughs; Östermalm.

Although the station displays several works of art by different artists, the centerpiece is Siri Derkert’s sketches adorning the station walls. The pictures blasted into pitch-black rock walls covered in white concrete, are both playful and personal. Derkert was 77 years old when the station opened and the station’s art was in a sense a summary of her extraordinary body of work.

"The central themes in her art are all represented on the walls", says art guide Marie Andersson. "When walking around the station you will see the word “peace” written in different languages, you will see portraits of people that had been working for the environment and with women’s rights issues".

Derkert’s involvement in the women’s rights movement is evident in the historical figures depicted on the walls. Many are women from the Fogelstad group, a women’s art collective which Derkert was a member of.