This life-sized sculpture is based on an image the artist saw on Instagram of local resident Jen Reid standing on the vacant plinth with her fist raised in a Black Power salute, a spontaneous moment following a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020.
This sculpture is about making a stand for my mother, for my daughter, for Black people like me.
Prejudice, such as racism, is part of that.
My first, instant thought was how incredible it would be to make a sculpture of her, in that instant.
Cast in black resin, this new sculpture A Surge of Power Jen Reid 2020 takes its place.
My immediate thoughts were for the enslaved people who died at the hands of Colston and to give them power.
I contacted Jen via social media to discuss the idea of the sculpture and she told me she wanted to collaborate.
Like my History Paintings which I have been making over the last decade, which started with an image from the London riots following the death of Mark Duggan.