The mayor of London is facing criticism after reportedly snubbing an art installation memorializing Queen Elizabeth II in Trafalgar Square in favor of an art piece showcasing hundreds of transgender prostitutes, local media reports show.
Labour Party Mayor Sadiq Khan approved £1 million, roughly $1.2 million, to fund Fourth Plinth installations in the city’s famed Trafalgar Square for 2026 and 2028, according to Express. The plinth has long been used to showcase contemporary art installations, and Londoners had anticipated a statue of the late queen to be installed following her death in 2022.
This year, the London government’s website shows an installation featuring the “faces of 850 trans people, most of whom are sex workers” will be erected on the plinth come August. The art project will remain in the spot for six months, Express and GB News reported.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 29: London Mayor Sadiq Khan leaves Millbank Studios after conducting media interviews on August 29, 2023 in London, England. August 29 is the first day of the London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion to all of Greater London, a policy designed to reduce air pollution by imposing charges on drivers of older, more polluting vehicles. The new rules have sparked political backlash in some parts of London and neighbouring counties. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) ((Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images))
The art piece will feature plaster imprints of transgender individuals’ faces, and will include their “skin cells and hair,” according to the mayor’s office’s description of the art. The installation is intended to decay, and will leave behind “a kind of anti-monument behind.”
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Teresa Margolles’ plinth design entitled 850 Improntas (850 Imprint), featuring casts of the faces of 850 trans people from London and around the world, during the unveiling of the new commission for Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth at the National Gallery, London. Picture date: Monday July 5, 2021. (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images) (Getty Images )
“The casts will be created together with trans communities. Plaster will be applied directly onto their faces. As such, not only will their features be recorded, the material will also become infused with their hair and skin cells. London’s weather, means the work will inevitably deteriorate and fade away, leaving a kind of anti-monument behind. This will continue to command attention and put a spotlight on participants whose lives are often overlooked,” the London government’s website states.
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/07/08: A protester holds a trans pride flag during the demonstration in Piccadilly Circus. Thousands of people marched through central London during Trans Pride 2023. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The approval of the project means a statue of the queen on the fourth plinth will be on ice until at least 2030, according to Express. Khan’s office told local media that a statue of the queen is still in the works and that he supports creating a committee to pave the way for such a memorial of the longest-reigning UK monarch.
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Teresa Margolles’ plinth design entitled 850 Improntas (850 Imprint), featuring casts of the faces of 850 trans people from London and around the world, during the unveiling of the new commission for Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth at the National Gallery, London. Picture date: Monday July 5, 2021. (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
“The Mayor wants to ensure we have a fitting memorial to our longest serving monarch. He supports the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, which is being supported by the Royal Household and chaired by the former Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. The Mayor stands ready to support the recommendations of the committee, whatever they are,” a spokesperson for the office told Express.
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In this Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 file photo, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II visits the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, England. Queen Elizabeth II marked the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by offering her sympathies to the victims, survivors and families affected by the atrocity. (Ben Stansall/Pool via AP, File)
A source told the outlet that Susan Hall, a conservative candidate running against Khan in the city’s mayoral election in May, slammed the decision and vowed to remove “woke art” if elected to office.
“Susan has committed to working with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee and the Royal Family to offer a permanent memorial to the late Queen on Fourth Plinth,” the source told Express. “The Improntas sculpture and any future commissions would have to be moved to accommodate that.”
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The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment on the matter Sunday.
