Portugal Colonial - London 'everywoman' sculpture to grace Trafalgar Square

"Lady in Blue", a bronze patinated with Lapis Lazuli blue by the New York artist Tschabalala Self, depicts "a young metropolitan woman of colour" in a long dress and high heels striding forward.

Self, who credits the city with supporting her artistic development over the years, said her figure would be one that Londoners could relate to.

"She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate," she said in a statement.

"She is a woman striding forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose. She is a Londoner, who represents the city's spirit."

Self is best known for her depictions of female figures that use paint, fabric and discarded pieces of previous her works.

The sculpture is the latest in a rolling programme overseen by the mayor of London that began in 1998 to showcase contemporary art on the "fourth plinth", which marks one corner of Trafalgar Square and has become one of the most coveted art commissions in the world.

Previous installations have included a giant ship in a bottle and a swirl of replica whipped cream, topped with a sculpted cherry, fly and drone.

The plinth currently features Samson Kambalu's sculpture "Antelope", the 14th to occupy the spot, which the artist has said was designed to shed light on Britain's colonial legacy in southern Africa.

The bronze resin sculpture features Baptist preacher and educator John Chilembwe, who led an uprising in 1915 against British colonial rule in Nyasaland, which is now Malawi.

Fourth Plinth organisers also announced the winning work that will follow "Lady in Blue" in 2028.

"Untitled" by Romanian-born Andra Ursuta is a hollow, life-size person on a horse covered in a shroud and cast in a slime-green resin, according to the Fourth Plinth commissioning group.

Ursuta's work embodied "multiple histories of public sculpture and commemoration at a time when there is increasing debate about the use of public space", the group said.

Mexican artist Teresa Margolles's "Improntas" (Imprints) has already been unveiled as the next Fourth Plinth sculpture, due to be installed in September 2024.

M.A.Vaz--PC