The fourth plinth

Another uneventful day, another backblip from Tuesday. 
This is a view of the current occupant of the 4th plinth in Trafalgar  Square. The plinth was originally intended for an equestrian statue of William lV but, for whatever reason, that never materialised. Instead it is now used to display an item of public art. This is the 14th commission and has been in place since last September. It is titled Antelope and is by Samson Kambalu.  It restages a photograph of Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley as a sculpture. The original photograph was taken in 1914 at the opening of Chilembwe's new church in Nyasaland, now Malawi.  Chilembwe has his hat on, defying the colonial rule that forbade Africans from wearing hats in front of white people.  A year later he led an uprising against colonial rule, was killed and his church destroyed by the colonial police. On the plinth, Chilembwe is larger than life, while Chorley is life-size. By increasing his scale, the artist elevates Chilembwe and his story and reveals a narrative of the British Empire that is not one of pomp and glory. It is a powerful piece given added impact I think by the towering presence of Nelson's Column in the near distance.