Fourth Plinth access
Transcript
At each of the four corners of Trafalgar Square stands a plinth with the two southern plinths carrying sculptures of Henry Havelock and Charles James Napier. The northern plinths are larger than the southern plinths as they were designed to hold equestrian statues, and indeed the north-eastern plinth has one of George IV. The fourth plinth on the north-west corner, designed by Sir Charles Barry and opened in 1844, was intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV but it remained empty due to insufficient funds.
In 1998, the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) conceived the Fourth Plinth Project, which temporarily occupied the plinth between 1999 and 2001 with a succession of works commissioned by the Cass Sculpture Foundation.
A committee considered the RSA's project and concluded that it had been a success and "unanimously recommended that the plinth should continue to be used for an ongoing series of temporary works of art commissioned from leading national and international artists". The plinth however remained empty until the new Greater London Authority assumed responsibility for Trafalgar Square and the Fourth Plinth.
In 2005 the Fourth Plinth Commission led by the Mayor of London's Culture Team, under the guidance of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group started commissioning artworks. The group is made up of specialist advisers appointed to guide and monitor the commissions for the plinth.
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Information about the sculpture
Antelope restages a photograph of Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley as a sculpture.
The photograph was taken in 1914 at the opening of Chilembwe’s new church in Nyasaland, now Malawi. Chilembwe has his hat on, defying the colonial rule that forbade Africans from wearing hats in front of white people. A year later, he led an uprising against colonial rule. Chilembwe was killed and his church was destroyed by the colonial police.
On the plinth, Chilembwe is larger than life, while Chorley is life-size. By increasing his scale, the artist elevates Chilembwe and his story, revealing the hidden narratives of underrepresented peoples in the history of the British Empire in Africa, and beyond.
This is the 14th commission in the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Programme. Discover more about Antelope and previous commissions in our digital guide available on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Scan the QR code to download the free app or visit our Fourth Plinth page.
Antilope, by Samson Kambalu (unveiled 28 September 2022)
The sculpture shows two figures in bronze, both men they are wearing wide brimmed hats. One figure, that represents John Chilembwe is almost double the size of the other figure. The other figure represents John Chorley, who is life-sized relative to the other statues around the square.
The sculpture is mounted on a grey oblong plinth. The larger of the two figures, John Chilembwe is facing towards Nelson’s Column in the centre of Trafalgar Square. He is wearing a suit and has a bow tie. He is wearing glasses and has his hands behind his back and is holding a book. The figure has a matt, dark brown, almost black patina, apart from his hat, which is a lighter colour.
The second, smaller figure, John Chorley is facing towards the National Gallery. He is also wearing a long tie and has a tie pin. He has one hand behind his back and has a pair of glasses in his hand. His pockets are bulging, giving the impression his pockets are filled with coins. The figure has a matt, dark brown, almost black patina.