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A sculpture by Tschabalala Self will soon be neighbour of the sculptures of Henry Havelock and Charles James Napier and King George IV on Travalgar Square in London. She has been has been selected for the 2026 Fourth Plinth commission.

The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is one of the most important art commissions worldwide, putting new work by internationally renowned artists into the heart of London. Self’s sculpture, titled Lady in Blue, pays homage to a contemporary woman, who could be one of many Londoners walking through Trafalgar Square. Made of bronze, she will reference the square’s existing monuments, but will be patinated with Lapis Lazuli, a refined blue pigment in use since antiquity.

“I am honoured that the public and Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group have selected my work,” Self says. “Lady in Blue will bring a woman to Trafalgar Square that many can relate to. She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate. She is a woman striding forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose. She is a Londoner, who represents the city’s spirit.”

Tschabalala Self (b.1990 Harlem, USA) lives and works in New York’s Hudson Valley. Self is an artist who builds a singular style from the syncretic use of both painting and printmaking to explore ideas about the black body. She constructs depictions of predominantly female bodies using a combination of sewn, printed and painted materials, traversing different artistic and craft traditions. The formal and conceptual aspects of Self’s work seek to expand her critical inquiry into selfhood and human flourishing. Solo exhibitions by Tschabalala Self include EMMA – Espoo Museum of Art, Espoo, FI (2024); Swiss Institute, New York, NY, US (2024); CC Strombeek, Grimbergen, BE (2023); Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, CH (2023); Le Consortium, Dijon, FR (2022); Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD, US (2021); ICA, Boston, MA, US (2020); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, US (2019); Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA, US (2019); Yuz Museum, Shanghai, CN (2018); Tramway, Glasgow, UK (2017); and Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art, London, UK (2017).