Rocking Horse at Trafalgar Square

2012 sees the arrival of a stature of a rocking horse at Trafalgar Square as the next installation in the Fourth Plinth series is revealed. Chosen as the sculpture to stand on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square throughout 2012 and into 2013, the child on a rocking horse is the next in a long line of controversial public artworks.

Rocking Horse at Trafalgar Square
Created by the Berlin and London based artists Elmgreen and Dragset, the statue is set to be cast in bronze and depicts a small boy in shorts riding a wooden rocking horse. Entitled Powerless Structure Fig 101, the sculpture will make a striking contrast between the childish nature of the rocking horse and the historical statues depicting military men on the other plinths.

Heroic artwork
By elevating the child on the rocking horse at Trafalgar Square to the same status as the other historical heroes, the latest Fourth Plinth work questions the nature of celebrating military victories and also debates the notion of heroism. By celebrating the young boy on the rocking horse, childhood itself is being exalted, and the tradition of commemorating is transfered into the future, as the child has yet to grow up.

Elmgreen and Dragset
Having worked together since 1995, the artists behind the rocking horse at Trafalgar Square are renowned for their installation works. Both of Danish orirgin but living and working in Berlin, they have exhibited internationally are best known for their boutique in the Texan dessert. With numerous projects in London over the past five years, their work has become more well known to London art fans, with contributions to the Hayward Gallery's New Decor show in 2010. Work by Elmgreen and Dragset is also due to go on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013.

Powerless Structure Fig 101, the sculpture of a child on a rocking horse at Trafalgar Square takes up residence on the Fourth Plinth from Thursday 23rd February 2012 until Monday 1st April 2013.

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