Sculpture of black protestor replaces statue of slave owner in UK

London, Jul 15 (efe-epa).- A sculpture of a black protester has appeared on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand.

British artist Marc Quinn created the steel and black resin piece depicting Jen Reid, who was photographed standing on the pedestal with a raised fist during a Black Lives Matter protest.

The statue of Colston, a 17th century slave trader, was torn down and thrown into the river by race activists on 7 June from where it had stood in Bristol, west England, since 1895.

Quinn’s artwork was made with a 3D printer based on a photograph of Reid that was taken during the demonstration and shared on social media.

She said she felt the urge to climb onto the empty plinth and raise her fist in a black power salute against racism.

Reid added that she thinks the sculpture is what the people of Bristol want to see and that it is important in paving the way towards racial justice and equality.

The resin statue was erected early in the morning on Wednesday and city authorities have said they did not give permission for it to be installed.

Quinn said it is meant to be a temporary installation to continue the discussion around race issues in the UK.

He contacted Reid on Facebook while creating the work, called A Surge of Power.

The London artist’s previous works include Self, a self-portrait bust created using his own blood, and Alison Lapper Pregnant, a sculpture of the disabled artist which she was eight months pregnant which was placed in Trafalgar Square in center of the UK capital.