Trans victims of violence commemorated in London artwork

A new artwork recently revealed at the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square features a large cube with plaster faces of hundreds of trans individuals that will gradually dissolve over 18 months due to exposure to rain and wind.

Created by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, the piece is titled ‘Mil Veces un Instante’ (‘A Thousand Times in an Instant’). As ‘LGBTQ Nation’, reports, it was presented to an audience on a Wednesday, which included many from Margolles’ trans community in Mexico. The 3.3-metric-ton (3.6 U.S. ton) cube is adorned with face masks representing 726 trans and gender-nonconforming people from the UK and Mexico. It symbolises a Tzompantli, a structure used in some Mesoamerican cultures until around 1200 CE to display the heads of war captives or sacrificial victims.

This imagery pays homage to Margolles’ friend, Karla La Borrada, a 67-year-old trans woman, singer, and sex worker who was murdered in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in 2015, with her case remaining unsolved.

“We pay this tribute to her and to all the other people who were killed for reasons of hate,” Margolles said in a statement. “But, above all, to those who live on, to the new generations who will defend the power to freely choose to live with dignity.”

“This collective sculpture… stands not only as a display of resilience and humanity from the trans plus/non-binary community but also as a reminder of the murders and disappearances that still occur in Latin America,” she continued.

The artwork is designed to "naturally age" over time, allowing the faces to slowly disintegrate with the weather.

The Fourth Plinth, erected in the 1800s for a never-realised statue, has been the stage for various art installations since 1999, rotating every 18 months. This project is funded by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, with additional support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Artists are compensated with a £30,000 fee plus £140,000 to cover production costs.

Image Credit: Canva

Previous installations at the Fourth Plinth have included works such as a drone plane with a giant fly, 2,400 people appearing on a rotating schedule, and an oversized bronze thumb.

Participant Tabby Lamb, who contributed her face to the project, remarked, “At a time when the trans community is more under attack than ever, it feels radical to be part of a sculpture celebrating not only our existence but also our vast diversity.”

Ekow Eshun, chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, shared with The Art Newspaper that the artwork evokes “the world we want to live in,” noting, “It is fitting that we have contemporary art that speaks to our times.” He elaborated that this piece symbolises “connection and humans.”

Read related myGwork articles here:

London’s First LGBTQ+ Community Centre to Open for a Six-Month Pop-Up in the Heart of Central London

Sir Patrick Stewart Shares Kiss With Sir Ian McKellen At Star Trek: Picard’s London Premier

Rally held to save London LGBTQ+-friendly venue

Pride in London unveils 2024 campaign: #WeAreEverywhere