Tschabalala Self’s Bronze Sculpture Debuts on London’s Fourth Plinth

American artist Tschabalala Self has unveiled her bronze sculpture Lady in Blue on the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, where it will remain for two years. The monumental work depicts a young Black woman striding forward in a blue dress and heels, cast in bronze with a lapis lazuli patina. Self, born in Harlem in 1990, said the figure represents contemporary personhood and the city’s spirit, not a specific veneration. Lady in Blue is the sixteenth commission in the Fourth Plinth program, funded by the Mayor of London with Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. It replaces Teresa Margolles’ 2024 work, with Andra Ursuța’s commission slated for 2028.