The 16th commission for the Fourth Plinth display in London’s Trafalgar Square, one of the UK’s most important platforms for contemporary art, has been unveiled today (10 September). Lady in Blue by the New York-based artist Tschabalala Self, a bronze sculpture showing a Black woman walking, is “not a remote historic figurehead but a tribute to everyday women”, said Justine Simons, London's deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, at the public launch.
“The work needs to be shown in public for it to be completed. I’m excited about the feedback I’ll get,” Self told The Art Newspaper. “This is a contemporary representation of personhood. Women need to be understood as being persons. Black people need to be understood as being persons. Despite someone’s identity politics, they should be able to be understood as a representation of all human beings; that’s what I’m hoping to accomplish with this work on a conceptual level.”
Self's sculpture will move permanently to Fornebu in Norway after the Trafalgar Square display, which last two years. The Art Newspaper understands that the work has been sold to a private foundation who will continue to make the work publicly accessible. “I’m happy that the sculpture will remain public. Regardless of the borders in place, we all share this planet… this is a multicultural world,” Self added.
The Fourth Plinth is funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The production of Self’s work was also backed by her London-based gallery, Pilar Corrias.
The Fourth Plinth programme was launched in 1998 by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) with the support of the Cass Sculpture Foundation. High-profile artists, including Yinka Shonibare, Rachel Whiteread and Mark Wallinger have shown works on the plinth since the contemporary art initiative was launched in 1999. The Romanian-born artist Andra Ursuța will unveil her commission in 2028.
The Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, chaired by the independent curator Ekow Eshun, selects the winning works. A public consultation also informs the group’s decision.