Sadiq Khan has been criticised for ignoring requests to put a statue of Queen Elizabeth on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth display.
Instead of a monument to the late monarch, the Mayor of London has called on the public to vote out of a selection of artists’ designs.
These include a rocket ship ice cream van, a black cat and a sweet potato among others out of a choice of seven in an exhibition.
However, Mr Khan’s decision to resist putting the Queen on the fourth plinth has been met with some disagreement.
![ANTELOPE by Samson Kambalu. The current sculpture on the plinth is a recreation of a 1914 photograph of a Baptist preacher John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/17/81453739-13100375-image-a-1_1708363647857.jpg)
ANTELOPE by Samson Kambalu. The current sculpture on the plinth is a recreation of a 1914 photograph of a Baptist preacher John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley
![SWEET POTATOES AND YAMS ARE NOT THE SAME by Veronica Ryan](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/13/81445229-13100375-image-m-6_1708350918413.jpg)
SWEET POTATOES AND YAMS ARE NOT THE SAME by Veronica Ryan
![THE SMILE YOU SEND RETURNS TO YOU by Chila Kumari Singh Burman featuring an ice cream truck](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/14/81445221-13100375-The_Smile_You_Send_Returns_to_You_by_Chila_Kumari_Singh_Burman_f-a-38_1708352667492.jpg)
THE SMILE YOU SEND RETURNS TO YOU by Chila Kumari Singh Burman featuring an ice cream truck
A petition has been launched by The Royalists calling to ‘honour’ the Queen with a statue on the iconic landmark.
In a post on X, TheRoyalistsUK said: ‘The Royalists have today launched a petition to honour the life and legacy of our late Queen with a statue on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.’
It has over 250 signatures and others have taken to social media to express their desire to see the Queen in a statue.
Another user posted: ‘Let’s have a statue of the wonderful Late Queen on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square. Pls retweet if you agree.’
Mr Kahn posted his support of the different options available for the plinth and said: ‘Proud to support the Fourth Plinth art exhibition in Trafalgar Square
‘Since 1998, this initiative has showcased world-class artwork, adding to London’s dynamic cultural scene. Excited to see what new exhibits will be next to grace this iconic space.’
Previous selections have been branded as ‘woke and wacky’ and baffled the public including a giant dollop of whipped cream topped with a cherry, a fly and a drone which were chosen in 2020.
Currently, a sculpture recreating a 1914 photograph of Baptist preacher John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley stands on the north-west plinth.
But seven ideas for a replacement also include a bird’s nest and a bronze sculpture of a woman’s head – with the winners announced next month.
Since 1999, a different sculpture has stood on the famous north-west pedestal in a tradition which has been notoriously successful in making Londoners bristle with contempt.
On Monday, the prize unveiled the seven contenders for the two next Fourth Plinths, which will be displayed from 2026 and 2028.
Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth could be home to artworks including an enormous sweet potato and a rocketship ice cream van.
The north-west pedestal has been home to art commissions for more than 25 years, with internationally renowned artists including Sir Antony Gormley and Dame Rachel Whiteread among previous exhibitors.
A life-sized person on a horse cast in slime-green resin, a golden bronze sculpture of a woman whose features have been amalgamated and a black cat are also among the shortlisted ideas.
![BELIEVE IN DISCONTENT by Ruth Ewan features a large black cat](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/14/81445225-13100375-Believe_in_Discontent_by_Ruth_Ewan_features_a_large_black_cat-a-40_1708354107489.jpg)
BELIEVE IN DISCONTENT by Ruth Ewan features a large black cat
![HORNERO by Gabriel Chaile'. The submission is a celebration of the behaviour of the Rufous Hornero bird, a national emblem of Argentina](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/15/81445223-13100375-Hornero_is_Chaile_s_celebration_of_the_behaviour_of_the_Rufous_H-a-52_1708354815311.jpg)
HORNERO by Gabriel Chaile’. The submission is a celebration of the behaviour of the Rufous Hornero bird, a national emblem of Argentina
![LADY IN BLUE by Tschabalala Self. It pays homage to a young, metropolitan woman of colour](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/15/81445235-13100375-Lady_in_Blue_by_Tschabalala_Self_pays_homage_to_a_young_metropol-a-53_1708354824861.jpg)
LADY IN BLUE by Tschabalala Self. It pays homage to a young, metropolitan woman of colour
![ANCIENT FEELINGS by Thomas Price. The giant golden bronze sculpture depicts a fictional woman whose features have been taken from a wide range of historic sources](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/15/81447401-13100375-Price_s_giant_golden_bronze_sculpture_depicts_a_fictional_woman_-a-57_1708355210524.jpg)
ANCIENT FEELINGS by Thomas Price. The giant golden bronze sculpture depicts a fictional woman whose features have been taken from a wide range of historic sources
![UNTITLED by Andra Ursu¿a. The artwork is a life-sized person on a horse covered in a shroud and cast in a slime-green resin](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/15/81447405-13100375-image-a-55_1708355025237.jpg)
UNTITLED by Andra Ursuţa. The artwork is a life-sized person on a horse covered in a shroud and cast in a slime-green resin
![Shortlisted artists for the Fourth Plinth Commission 2024: Gabriel Chaile, Ruth Ewan, Thomas J Price, Veronica Ryan OBE, Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE and Tschabalala Self](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/17/81454445-13100375-image-a-10_1708364454005.jpg)
Shortlisted artists for the Fourth Plinth Commission 2024: Gabriel Chaile, Ruth Ewan, Thomas J Price, Veronica Ryan OBE, Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE and Tschabalala Self
Artists Liverpool-born Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Argentinian Gabriel Chaile, Scottish Ruth Ewan, London-born Thomas J Price, Montserrat-born Veronica Ryan, American Tschabalala Self and Romanian Andra Ursuta are the artists up for the honour.
The proposal by Turner-prize winner Ryan, is called Sweet Potatoes and Yams are Not the Same.
It consists of a sweet potato island, building on Ryan’s practice of using everyday objects, particularly foods.
The potato has travelled all around the world and is meant to represent the global conversations that happen in Trafalgar Square.
In The Smile You Send Returns to You, Burman, who describes herself as a Punjabi Liverpudlian, shows her regular motif, her father’s ice cream van The Rocket, at the centre of the sculpture and his voyage to the UK from India.
Meanwhile, Price’s proposal is for a golden bronze sculpture that shows a fictional woman, amalgamated from a wide range of historic sources called Ancient Feelings.
Meanwhile, Ewan’s Believe In Discontent takes its title from suffragist Charlotte Despard, who addressed crowds in Trafalgar Square, and is modelled on a mass-produced ornament of a black cat, referencing the way the women’s rights campaigners were portrayed by the media at the time.
Other shortlisted works include Chaile’s celebration of the behaviour of the Rufous Hornero bird, a national emblem of Argentina, Self’s bronze work that pays homage to a young, metropolitan woman of colour and Ursuta’s hollow, life-sized person on a horse covered in a shroud and cast in a slime-green resin.
The winning sculptures will follow Samson Kambalu’s sculpture, called Antelope, of the preacher John Chilembwe, who was killed in an anti-colonialist uprising in what was then Nyasaland, now Malawi.
The next sculpture on the plinth which was chosen two years ago is Improntas (Imprints) by Teresa Margolles, which will be installed this September until 2026.
Improntas (Imprints) features casts of the faces of 850 transgender people from London and around the world.
The ‘life masks’ will be arranged around the plinth in the form of a Tzompantli, a skull rack from Mesoamerican civilisations.
Margolles’ work was championed by trans activists who launched a fevered social media campaign urging followers to vote for the sculpture.
But the works have been met a backlash from critics, opining that the choices represent ‘Sadiq Khan’s woke and wacky London’.
Elsewhere, a giant swirl of a replica whipped cream topped with a cherry, a fly and a drone was displayed in 2020. The sculpture, titled The End, was created by Heather Phillipson.
Ekow Eshun, chairman of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, said: ‘On behalf of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, I would like to thank the artists for taking the time to consider this unique commission so carefully.
‘There is an incredible group of works on show today, and we look forward to hearing the public’s thoughts on these proposals.’
The Fourth Plinth is funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture, creative industries and 24-hour London team, said: ‘The Fourth Plinth is renowned across the globe for bringing world-class contemporary art to the heart of London.
‘I’m delighted that our shortlisted artists have provided such thought-provoking pieces.
‘For 25 years, the sculptures on the Fourth Plinth have sparked interest and debate, bringing out the art critic in everybody. I’ve no doubt that these proposals will continue that fantastic tradition.’
The first work to occupy the Fourth Plinth, Ecce Homo by British artist Mark Wallinger, was unveiled as a contemporary life-size figure of Christ in 1999.
The two winning works will be announced in March 2024.
![IMPRONTAS by Teresa Margolles. The sculpture will be displayed in 2024, and features casts of the faces of 850 transgender people from London and around the world](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/19/14/45055695-13100375-Margolles_work_which_will_be_displayed_in_2024_features_casts_of-a-49_1708354444545.jpg)
IMPRONTAS by Teresa Margolles. The sculpture will be displayed in 2024, and features casts of the faces of 850 transgender people from London and around the world