Check out the installation coming to Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth later this year
Bronze podium place
Every two years, Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth gets a new art installation, and the London Assembly has revealed not just the upcoming 2026 piece but the 2028 one too.
Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self will be installed on the plinth in September, replacing Mil Veces un Instante by Teresa Margolles.
It’s a bronze sculpture of a black woman appearing to stride forward with purpose while wearing a blue dress. Hence the name.
“She is a symbol of our shared present and future ambitions – the aspiration of equity through representation, recognition, and action,” reads the announcement.
Self works and was born in New York. And if you think the work of a UK artist should be there, you can blame the public.
Seven shortlisted works were put up for a public vote, to let regular folks have a say on what gets displayed at this most iconic of London spots.
The dress of the figure is painted in Lapis Lazuli blue, popping out brilliantly next to the colour of the figure itself.
“My work, Lady in Blue, will bring to Trafalgar Square a woman that many can relate to. She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate,” says Self.
“She is a Londoner, who represents the city’s spirit. I have London to thank for so many milestones in my practice. I had my first institutional show here, and later the first presentation of my first major painting series. The city has truly supported my artistic development and is the best possible home for this powerful figure.”
In 2028, Lady in Blue will be knocked off her perch by Andra Ursuța’s Untitled.
It’s a “slime green” sculpture that depicts a horse sculpture with a cover draped over it, a “yet-to-be-uncovered or an already cancelled public monument.”
Untitled looks like glass but is a cast resin piece. Ursuța was born in Romania and works across London and New York.
These installations won their spots on Trafalgar Square’s iconic Fourth Plinth back in 2024, but until now, we didn’t know when the changeover would happen — September.
Artworks have been displayed on the Fourth Plinth since 1999, when the very first installation, Mark Wallinger's Ecce Homo statue, was erected.
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