Phantom of Liberty
Stephen Hall
January 2011 - February 2020
County Street
In January 2011 a new public sculpture was unveiled at the end of a quiet cul de sac in Elephant & Castle south London. In eight tonnes of steel and cement block «Phantom of Liberty» is a statement about arts’ autonomy and the politics of representation, and embodies some of the contradictions of contemporary art in public spaces. An artwork for the UKs’ age of austerity and «the big society».
In 2012 Arts Council England supported the creation of an adjacent micro park and Olympic street festival. The sculpture was resurfaced in 2016, sculpture and park were uninstalled in February 2020. In 2013 a variation of the work «Fourth Plinth Munich» was commissioned by curators Elmgreen & Dragset for the Munich Arts Festival A Space Called Public.
Delivered in partnership with Southwark Council.
Images
- Photos:
Stephen Hall
