London’s latest Fourth Plinth sculpture is a woman going places

London (CNN) — A new sculpture has been unveiled in London’s Trafalgar Square, where it will stand for the next two years. “Lady in Blue,” by New York-based artist Tschabalala Self, is a bronze statue of an anonymous young Black woman wearing a form-fitting blue dress, matching heels and glass beaded jewelry. She’s strong and she’s going places.

It is the 16th statue to be installed on the so-called Fourth Plinth, as part of an ongoing public art commission first launched by the Royal Society of Arts and today supported by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Bloomsbury Philanthropies.

“Lady in Blue” stands out against the 19th-century historical landmarks that already occupy the square, namely Nelson’s Column and Landseer’s Lions. Instead of commemorating the past, Self wanted to represent the contemporary everywoman. “I wanted to direct everyone’s attention to the future,” the artist said during an interview at Pilar Corrias gallery ahead of the statue’s unveiling. “I don’t think there are enough monuments that are about our shared future to come.”

It is also one of the rare statues in the UK depicting a Black woman. Out of around 1,500 statues in London, just a handful represent women of color. Self, who is known for her distinct depictions of the Black female body that generate discourse around intersections of race, gender and sexuality, is not surprised by this statistic. “I really want people to take away from the sculpture the feeling that they can feel free to exist as they are without explanation,” she said.

But, she adds, representation should not be the sole purpose of her sculptures. “It’s not that speaking about blackness minimizes the work, because I don’t believe that to be the case. It’s just that I don’t think that’s the focal point of the project,” Self said. “I also feel like when people enter the work through that framework, they’re already starting a process of reduction because they have come to name and define the figures by their identity politics.”

This is Self’s first public sculpture in the UK since 2023, when her sculpture “Seated” was defaced after being installed in the English town Bexhill-On-Sea. Vandals spray painted the skin of the sculpted Black woman white. “I was very upset when the sculpture was vandalised, but ultimately that experience turned out being one that was very edifying for me,” Self said. “It highlighted how real people, not just figurative sculptures, experience these same kind of aggressions and acts of violence and intimidation in real life. So I feel like for those reasons, the sculpture did its work.” A community clean-up day was organised following the incident and the white paint was removed. “Through the restoration of the sculpture, it also showed people’s willingness and desire to overcome the societal ills.” With “Lady in Blue,” she feels prepared for more conversations about the importance of figuration and representing all identities in public art, “even if the conversations take a dark turn, because I know ultimately, it would be for the greater education of all parties involved,” she said.

“Lady in Blue” is a striking addition to the London landmark with her jewelry, braided hair and matching lapis lazuli outfit —a shade which was inspired by the rare rock used as a pigment since antiquity. But more important is the statue’s powerful stride: “She’s not static,” Self said. “She has a desire to move, and in her having this courage to be optimistic and move forward, I hope that is going to be inspiring to all people who encounter her to know that this is something that’s also available to them — the ability to stride and to move forward,” she continued.

With thousands of people walking through Trafalgar Square everyday, in one of the most diverse cities in the world, Self wants the public to see themselves reflected back in “Lady in Blue.”

“I want her just to become a Londoner at the end of the day,” she said.

The-CNN-Wire
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