Mexican artist Teresa Margolles has unveiled her new sculpture Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant) on London’s Fourth Plinth, marking the 15th edition of one of the world’s most prestigious public art commissions. Margolles’ work, a tribute to the resilience of the global trans community, features plaster casts of the faces of 726 trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people from Mexico and the U.K.
The 2.5-meter-tall sculpture weighs 3.3 tonnes and is arranged in the form of a Tzompantli, a Mesoamerican skull rack used to display the remains of war captives or sacrifice victims. As the plaster is exposed to the elements, the details of the faces will slowly fade, symbolizing the erosion of memory and the vulnerability of marginalized communities.
The project has deeply personal roots for Margolles, who created the sculpture in memory of her friend Karla, a transgender woman and artist who was murdered in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico in 2015. Karla’s death remains unsolved, and her story is one of many that Margolles seeks to honor through this work.
“This collective sculpture… stands not only as a display of resilience and humanity from the trans plus/non-binary community but also as a reminder of the murders and disappearances that still occur, especially in Latin America,” said Margolles. “We pay tribute to those who were killed for reasons of hate, but above all, to those who live on.”
The casts were created in Mexico City, Juárez, and London in collaboration with community groups including Micro Rainbow and QUEERCIRCLE. The process involved applying plaster directly to participants’ faces, capturing not only their features but also traces of their hair and skin.
“This powerful work will shine a spotlight on the important issues that our society continues to face,” said Justine Simons OBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries. “Representation matters, and I am proud that this work is on display right in the heart of our capital.”
The Fourth Plinth has hosted contemporary works for 25 years, including those by the likes of Marc Quinn, Yinka Shonibare, and Heather Phillipson. Margolles’ Mil Veces un Instante will remain on display in Trafalgar Square, where it will naturally age as part of its message of endurance and visibility. In March, the commission announced that it was awarding its 2026 and 2028 commissions to Tschabalala Self and Andra Urşuta, respectively, from a shortlist of seven artists.
