As the name aptly describes, the Southbank in London is situated on the southern bank of the Thames River. Stretching between Southwark and Lambeth in the downtown area, this eye-catching riverside road passes Waterloo station and the London Eye (or Millenium Wheel, as it is officially known) and is at the heart of London’s arts quarter. One of the central components of this stretch is Southbank Centre (www.southbankcentre.co.uk), a multi-art complex that is instantly recognisable for its brutal 60s architecture (think massive slabs of concrete and a random tangle of walkways and staircases). Signs for the centre usually include various topical pieces of artwork mounted next to both sides of it, light displays on its walls in the evening and people flooding in and out of its labyrinth of venues, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery and the Royal Festival Hall. These days, there’s a poster featuring faces of all shapes and sizes, an fitting flyer for Avenue of Portraits, an exhibit held as part of the Festival of Britain project, runs through September 11. 
A bit of background is in order. In recent years, the UK has become very fond of its extremely diverse community, and London has more reason than anywhere else in the country to be aware of its colourful character. Plus it does like to show support to its artists. As such, there are frequent displays all over the city – but, to be fair, usually in the north – of artists who are members of various communities. The Avenue of Portraits – seeking to answer the questions ’What makes up the people of Britain -, is a prime example of this type of embracing of the many and diverse ethnicities that make up London’s remarkably cosmopolitan scene. 
What follows is a series of paintings, photographs, poetry, plates, some audio-visuals and a soundscape, all aimed at evoking questions on how the British identify themselves these days. All jokes and cynicism aside, this is a real and valid question in the UK, and in particular in London, where the British stereotype has all but disappeared in the flood of different cultures, and times have moved on so much that there is little place for it anyway. Of particular note on the Avenue of Portraits is a series of photos of Afro-Caribbean elders who moved to the UK in the 50s and 60s, when the tide of immigration to Britain from that part of the world was at its peak. 
They’re doing this exhibition properly – they even have an artist in residence known as Lady Lucy (couldn’t honestly tell you if that’s a member of the aristocracy or a Lady Gaga-style title – could go either way, in a venue like this) who is currently working on a portraiture project: she has a studio in the original box office of the Royal Festival Hall, from which she paints portraits of volunteers. You can watch the creation process and see the expanding portfolio of portraits throughout the summer months. 
Find the Avenue of Portraits at ground level between Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery. It’s free to go on in and have a look around, so go and gaze upon the many faces of London, as perceived by the young artists of our day.