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ANGLO-NIGERIAN ARTIST TO EXHIBIT ON WORLD-FAMOUS FOURTH PLINTH, LONDONS TRAFALGAR SQUARE Guaranty Trust Bank of Nigeria sponsor Yinka Shonibare MBEs Nelsons Ship in a Bottle, to be unveiled on Monday 24 May Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, today announced that the next commission for the world-famous Fourth Plinth in Londons Trafalgar Square Nelsons Ship in a Bottle by leading Anglo-Nigerian artist Yinka Shoninbare MBE - will be formally unveiled on Monday 24 May. Set in a giant bottle, the 5 metre long and 2.5 metre high scale replica of Nelsons flagship HMS Victory will link directly with Nelsons column, located just metres away at the front of the iconic square. The artwork will be the first commission on the Fourth Plinth to reflect specifically on the historical symbolism of Trafalgar Square, which commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, and is also the first of such commissions by a black artist. The work was commissioned by the Mayor of London and sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank of Nigeria. The ship's 37 large sails will be made of exuberant and richly patterned textiles commonly associated with African dress and symbolic of African identity and independence. Tying together historical and global threads, the work considers the legacy of Britains expansion in trade and Empire, made possible through the freedom of the seas that Nelsons Victory provided. Yinka Shonibare says his piece will reflect the story of multiculturalism in London: For me its a celebration of Londons immense ethnic wealth, giving expression to and honouring the many cultures and ethnicities that are still breathing precious wind into the sails of the United Kingdom. A ship in a bottle is an object of wonder. Adults and children are intrigued by its mystery. How can such towering masts and billowing sails fit inside such a commonplace object? With Nelsons Ship in a Bottle I want to take this childhood sense of wonder and amplify it to match the monumental scale of Trafalgar Square.

• Release Date

  Feb 10, 2010

• Runtime

  04:04