AwardJuly 9, 2021
Teresa Margolle’s Fading Monument in Trafalgar Square
In 2024, Teresa Margolles will present casts of the faces of 850 trans people around the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, central London, for one of the world’s highest-profile contemporary art commissions.
“850 Improntas” by Margolles was chosen through public consultation, and the deliberative work of an independent commission was made up of artists, journalists, and curators, whose final decision was approved by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
For her work, 850 Improntas (850 Imprints), Margolles will take casts of the faces of trans people from London and around the world. Many of the Mexican artist’s subjects will be sex workers, bringing attention to the constant marginalization of the trans community in England and worldwide.
These “life masks” will be arranged on all four sides of the plinth in the form of a tzompantli, a skull rack from Mesoamerican civilizations that was often used to display the remains of sacrifice victims or prisoners of war.
She expects that London’s weather will mean the work deteriorates and fades away, leaving “a kind of anti-monument.” The work as it erodes will wash away traces of genetic material transferred during the casting process and deteriorating individual facial features.
“850 Improntas” by Margolles was chosen through public consultation, and the deliberative work of an independent commission was made up of artists, journalists, and curators, whose final decision was approved by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
For her work, 850 Improntas (850 Imprints), Margolles will take casts of the faces of trans people from London and around the world. Many of the Mexican artist’s subjects will be sex workers, bringing attention to the constant marginalization of the trans community in England and worldwide.
These “life masks” will be arranged on all four sides of the plinth in the form of a tzompantli, a skull rack from Mesoamerican civilizations that was often used to display the remains of sacrifice victims or prisoners of war.
She expects that London’s weather will mean the work deteriorates and fades away, leaving “a kind of anti-monument.” The work as it erodes will wash away traces of genetic material transferred during the casting process and deteriorating individual facial features.
Gallery
