Renovations at the Zuidplein metro station will begin in October as part of the large-scale development of the Hart van Zuid city center. Since 1976, the columns near the escalators have been two paintingsThe works were created by the Brigada Luis Corvalán, one of the so-called painting brigades of Chilean exiles who protested Pinochet's coup d'état in 1973 with their slogans and paintings.
Over the years, these 'Chilean columns' have become a powerful symbol of international solidarity. Other political paintings from that period, such as those applied in the past to the Communication column near Central Station, have since been destroyed or otherwise disappeared. The surviving works at Zuidplein metro station are therefore unique.
In consultation with Chilean artists Juan Heinsohn Huala and Jorge Kata Núñez, the choice was made to preserve the paintings on the original columns. They will be integrated into the new design of the metro station, complete with additional information. A third artwork, created by Jorge Kata Nñez and Juan Heinsohn Huala, is located on the north facade of the Zuidplein metro station: the elongated painting The whole world is my homeland (2007). The work is in poor condition and has been removed and stored due to the metro station renovations. Research is currently underway to restore the painting.
The ensemble of these three artistic appeals on the columns and frieze encourages solidarity: they transform the street into a democratic meeting place. Thus, these now historic paintings are much more than mere decoration of public space: they constitute a tangible reminder of political struggle, exile, and human connection. They are of enduring cultural-historical value and tell a story that remains relevant today.
Earlier, Lotfi El Hamidi wrote in NRC about the threatened Chilean paintings at Zuidplein metro station.