Art in Trafalgar Square - 2nd June 2021

London's Trafalgar Square has a stone block in every corner. It's called a plinth. Statues were put on three of the plinths, but one was left free. The people of London couldn't decide what to put on this fourth plinth. Finally, in 1998, they decided to use it for art.

The artwork changes every two years. It's now time to choose the next two artworks. Six international artists have created artworks, which are in the National Gallery.

Judges will choose the art for the plinth. Ekow Eshun leads the group of judges.

Ekow Eshun: "They're artists from all around the world, from Mexico, from Ghana, from Germany, from the UK. And each of them has proposed a work that will sit on the Fourth Plinth for 2 years, for a temporary period of 2 years. We've asked those artists to think about having a conversation with London about the role that art can play in helping us, really, to think more broadly about who we are, about how we live in the city of London."

The present artwork is Heather Phillipson's "The End". The first of the two winning pieces of art will replace it in September 2022.

The artists have created some amazing pieces. One artwork is a giant rocket, another a sculpture of 850 transgender people. There's also a tower filled with plants and a figure of a traditional German story character.

Ekow Eshun explains how the competition will work. First the gallery visitors will give their opinions on the art. Then the judges will decide.

Ekow Eshun: "The public is invited to have their say, to talk about what they like, what they don't like. And then, there's a selection process that's made by, by the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group - the judges - and we decide the next works that will go on the Plinth."