London’s statues are in dire need of equality and diversity

The capital of the UK has hundreds of statues dotting the city, drawing in tourists throughout the year. But there’s a fundamental issue in the landscape of sculptures and public art in London.

A new study by Art UK, a charity and online hub dedicated to public art in the country, reveals amongst other things that London holds more statues of animals than it does of women and people of colour.

The data has been collected as a part of an ongoing research project by Art UK, partly funded by City Hall. According to the charity, only 4 percent of public statues represent women, while 8 percent depict animals. In the same vein, people of colour make up a mere 1 percent of statues. And women of colour are only seen in 0.2 percent of those publicly seen.

The most frequently depicted woman is Queen Victoria, who ruled predominantly during the 19th century. There are nine statues dedicated to her across the city.

A statue of Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace. One of nine statues across London.
Credit: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

These numbers are highly contrasted to public figurines of men. Statues and sculptures of male figures make up over 20 percent of London’s 1,500 monuments. 79 percent of named figures are men. These include royalty, politicians, military figures, writers, artists, and actors, on display throughout the city.

To top it off, London has the highest percentage of statues featuring female figures out of every major UK city. Which means the numbers are even lower in other parts of the country. Elsewhere, in Ireland and Scotland, the lack of statues of women has been openly criticised in recent years. For example, Scotland, too, has more statues of animals than it does women, with ongoing campaigns pushing for reform.

It reduces certain people in public consciousness, and uplifts others, deciding who is wholly recognised.

Why does it matter? To most, the answer is glaring. These statues are open commemorations honouring historical figures and culturally significant icons. To display lesser representation of women and people of colour is to deem their contributions as lesser themselves. At the same time, it reduces certain people in public consciousness, and uplifts others, deciding who is wholly recognised.

In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to transform the city’s communal art scene, through an initiative titled the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, aiming to diversify public spaces and artworks.

“London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with more than 300 languages spoken every day,” reads the commission’s online statement. “Yet its statues, plaques and street names don’t reflect our city’s stories.”

Cities across England underwent an uprising last year, in the midst of racist statues around the world being taken down in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, for instance, a bronze sculpture of a former English slave trader was thrown in the river, and replaced by BLM protester Jen Reid, albeit temporarily.

“A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020” by sculptor Marc Quinn was installed on the site of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston. It was by removed by Bristol City Council 24 hours later.
Credit: Ben Birchall / PA Images via Getty Images

This year, the first statue of a Black woman created by a Black woman was put on display in Bristol, too; artist Helen Wilson-Roe architected a statue of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were used without consent by researchers in 1951, which greatly contributed to cell research.

The family of Henrietta Lacks at the unveiling of a statue on the 70th anniversary of her death at Royal Fort House in Bristol.
Credit: Ben Birchall / PA Images via Getty Images

In the past few years, similar condemnation have given rise to new structures being built. In 2017, a square mile of statues along London’s political centre was criticised for spotlighting entirely male figures as well. This kindled the building of a statue lauding suffragette Millicent Fawcett. Last year, a sculpture of Mary Wollstonecraft was configured and unveiled in London, honouring the woman known as “the mother of feminism”. However, the statue was flagged for its depiction, which was far from life-like but rather represented a naked figure of a woman.

The issue of representation and diversity in public art is not exclusive to the UK. In San Francisco, only 2 percent of public art sculptures represent women, fueling initiatives for reformation. In New York City, out of 150 statues available publicly, just five are women. The first statue of real women was unveiled in New York’s Central Park in 2020, thanks to campaigning and fundraising by the nonprofit Monumental Women.

In Australia, as of 2017, only three percent of public statues feature non-fictional women.

Worldwide, an entrenched idea of who should be celebrated has resulted in more sculptures of men than women. But such numbers are serious signs that our public spaces need reconfiguration.