Casts of faces of 850 transgender people to be displayed on Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Sqare

Casts of the faces of 850 transgender people are to be displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Teresa Margolles’ artwork 850 Improntas has been chosen alongside a sculpture by fellow artist Samson Kambalu to be displayed on the plinth in central London, which is home to a rolling commission of public artworks.

They will be unveiled in 2022 and 2024 respectively following a public vote.

Margolles’ work features casts of the faces of 850 transgender people from London and around the world.

“She works closely with this marginalised community that sometimes is unable to access social care,” a statement from City Hall said.

“The ‘life masks’ will be arranged round the plinth in the form of a Tzompantli, a skull rack from Mesoamerican civilisations (an area covering Central Mexico to northern Costa Rica).”

Kambalu’s work, Antelope, depicts a 1914 photograph of Baptist preacher John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley.

“On the plinth, Chilembwe is larger than life while Chorley is lifesize; by increasing his scale, the artist elevates Chilembwe and his story, revealing the hidden narratives of under-represented peoples in the history of the British Empire in Africa and beyond,” City Hall said.

The artworks were selected by the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group after nearly 17,500 members of the public voted for their favourite designs.

Ekow Eshun, chairman of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, said: “This year was an incredibly strong shortlist from six incredibly exciting contemporary artists.

“I would like to congratulate Samson Kambalu and Teresa Margolles on winning the commissions, and to thank the public for all of their comments; we received more votes than ever before.

“I am thrilled at the outcome and very much looking forward to seeing the new works on the plinth.”