Envision a 9-foot-tall bronze statue of a Black woman. That is Reach Sculpture.
Reach Sculpture stands in East London. This artwork captures a modern Black identity. The artist is Thomas J Price.
The statue depicts a young woman holding a mobile phone. She is studying it intently. Price calls her an everyday woman.
Price says Reach Sculpture is his first full figure representation of a woman. He noted very few public sculptures of Black women existed in the UK.
Reach Sculpture explores themes of isolation and connectedness. Technology mediates our lives. The sculpture acknowledges these different ways.
Reach Sculpture is part of The Line sculpture trail. The trail connects the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2. It follows the Greenwich Meridian and waterways. Other artists on the trail include Anthony Gormley and Laura Ford.
Price criticized Marc Quinn’s statue of Jen Reid. Reid was a Black Lives Matter protester. Price felt Quinn’s work overshadowed Black artists. He believed it hindered real progress.
Quinn installed his resin sculpture overnight. He replaced a statue of slave trader Edward Colston. Price said Quinn colonized the space. He sabotaged the city’s process.
The Big Issue reports on public art in London. They restored a 1950s statue in Hammersmith. They looked into public art across London. They wondered who decides what goes where. They questioned the amount of art in Park Lane.
The London County Council had a patronage of the arts scheme. From 1956 to 1964, they commissioned over 70 artworks. These works aimed to unite communities after World War II. They created attractive public spaces. They inspired civic ideals in young Londoners.
The artworks had themes of family and work. They showed children playing sports. They were designed to be interactive. Artists experimented with concrete and fiberglass.
Standing before Reach Sculpture consider its message. It is a reflection of our time. It balances isolation and connection. It celebrates Black identity in a public space.