“We pay this tribute to her and to all the other people who were killed for reasons of hate,” the artist said. “But, above all, to those who live on, to the new generations who will defend the power to freely choose to live with dignity.”
Organizers of the project say the work will “naturally age” while on display, with the detail of the faces slowly fading as the plaster is exposed to the elements.
One of London’s main gathering spots for tourists and protesters, Trafalgar Square was named for Admiral Horatio Nelson’s 1805 victory over the French and Spanish fleets. A statue of the one-armed admiral stands atop Nelson’s Column at the center of the square, and statues of other 19th-century military leaders are nearby.
The fourth plinth — a 24-foot high stone pedestal — was erected in 1841 for a never-completed equestrian statue, and since 1999 has been occupied by a series of artworks for about 18 months at a time.
Previous occupants included a giant bronze thumb, a sculpture of a giant swirl of whipped cream topped with a cherry, a fly and a drone, and 2,400 members of the public who each stood atop the plinth for an hour over the course of 100 days.
For more from NBC Out, sign up for our weekly newsletter.
