The fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square has long been used as a stage for provocative and thought-provoking artworks. Many commissions have been kitsch or whimsical by design – including a melting swirl of whipped cream, a giant thumbs up, and even a huge blue cockerel.
However, this year’s piece, Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant), by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, addresses a pressing and tragic reality: the escalating violence and murders faced by the trans community worldwide.
Margolles’s work is a powerful tribute to her friend, Karla La Borrada, a 67-year-old trans singer and former sex worker who was murdered in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico nine years ago. To date, Mexico remains the second-most dangerous country in the world to be transgender, according to human rights groups. Sadly, these issues are not unique to Mexico.
