So wonderful to see this statue back on public display again after 18 years. Ecce Homo by artist Mark Wallinger was the first of the Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth displays, and quite possibly my favourite. He looked so fragile and vulnerable on that big plinth, in that big square, as he does here too, his new temporary home at St Paul's Cathedral.
What is great on this outing is that he isn't removed from the public on a pedestal, and we are allowed to examine and interact with him at close quarters. There is a downside to this however. He stands there at the top of the stairs with a quiet dignity, not mocked by soldiers or priests as in biblical times, but by over-familiar present day tourists taking selfies. Despite this I love the human scale of this statue. He is a life-sized, slight figure, and it is this trait that adds to the sense of pathos we as viewers feel for his situation. He is being exhibited as part of Amnesty International's campaign to highlight the plight of prisoner's of conscience around the world.
Happy Easter
Ecce Homo
until 22nd May
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Churchyard
London
EC4M 8AD
