Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth powerfully displays hundreds of trans and non-binary faces

Trafalgar Square’s 15th Fourth Plinth Commission has been revealed and it displays more than 700 transgender and non-binary faces in a bid to empower the trans community. 

The new work was revealed on Wednesday (18 September), after the initial announcement of the subject matter left some right-wing news outlets “outraged”.

Teresa Margolles’ sculpture, Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant), promotes trans rights. The artwork is made up of plaster casts of the faces of 726 trans, non-binary and gender-non-conforming victims of violence. 

The casts, which were made in Juárez and Mexico City, as well as London, were applied directly on to the faces of participants, recording their features and infusing the plaster with their hair and skin cells. The work will fade over time because it is exposed to the elements. 

Standing at slightly more than 8ft (2.5m) high and weighing 3.3 tonnes, Margolles’ creation is a tribute to her trans friend, Karla, who was murdered in the Mexican city of Juárez, in December 2015. No one has ever been convicted of the crime.

The casts are arranged in a form of a tzompantli: a wooden rack from Mesoamerican civilisations used to display human skulls, usually of victims of sacrifice.

UK participant Tabby Lamb said: “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. It is an honour to be represented in my home city alongside thousands of my siblings.”

Stephanie Lynnette, another UK participant, recalled the casting experience as “one of the most liberating examples of allyship”. 

Lynnette went on to say: “Following the moulding shooting with my cast, I felt vulnerable, celebratory and empowered and I hope that’s what everyone feels when they see this haunting piece: the realisation of our vulnerability, the celebration of these individuals and the empowerment of a community.” 

To create the sculpture, Margolles, a former forensic pathologist whose work often explores social and aesthetic dimensions of conflict, worked closely with groups across Mexico and the UK, including LGBTQ+ charities Micro Rainbow and Queercircle.

Margolles said the 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, especially in Latin America”. 

It displays “a return to the human, the primal, the sacred” and marks the “ninth anniversary of the unpunished murder of Karla”, she added. 

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

Queercircle director Ashley Joiner said the work “confronts the public with the truth of our lived realities and stands as a beacon of solidarity from London to our international trans community.” A spokesperson for Micro Rainbow believed it “highlights and [celebrates] the trans migrant experience” and ensured members of the community’s “stories were heard, honoured and represented with dignity”. 

The Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth is funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Find out more at Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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