The second sculpture to occupy The Liverpool Plinth at St Nicholas Church has now been unveiled!
This year’s open call for annual sculpture competition The Liverpool Plinth has now closed and submissions have been judged by an independent panel of art and culture professionals. The Liverpool Plinth was founded to bring northern art to the public realm, showcasing a yearly celebration of ideas and creativity through innovative sculpture; a competition in the north akin to Trafalgar Square’s ‘Fourth Plinth’.
This week dot-art, together with Liverpool BID Company and Liverpool Parish Church, proudly announced Sam Shendi’s vibrant figurative sculpture ‘Split Decision’ as this year’s competition winner, taking the place of Tony Heaton’s iconic Gold Lamé car.
Created by North Yorkshire-based and Egyptian-born sculptor, Sam Shendi, whose works have been displayed internationally, Split Decision is a 4.5 metre, multicoloured, minimalist structure, which will occupy the Liverpool Plinth for 12 months from June 2019.
This piece is part of a collection called Only Human, which as a collective explores the themes of mental health and depression. Sam explains:
“This particular work expresses the difficulty in making a decision when you are in a depressed state. It represents the fear of taking a direction or making a choice. The colours represent emotions; for example, red being anger or sexuality, green for hope and innocence, pink for childhood and sweetness. The central figure is black and blue, referencing the expression ‘black and blue’ for pain. In this confusion we feel this pain, black and blue, unaware of the bright side of the options or opportunities that lie before us in either direction, represented by the legs stretched out and the colours presenting those opportunities.”
The Liverpool Plinth is supported by Liverpool Parish Church, Liverpool BID Company and dot-art. Split Decision is the second sculpture to be selected for the project, which launched in 2018, from an open call to artists from across the North of England. A new piece of work will be displayed on the plinth every 12 months.
There is an exhibition inside the church giving more details about the winner and the two short-listed entrants.
If you are a sculptor based in the north of England and would like to keep up to date with dot-art news and future details of the Liverpool Plinth competition, sign up to our newsletter, and apply next year!
