Teresa Margolles' Sculpture Honors Trans Lives and Raises Awareness in Trafalgar Square Display

The sculpture Mil veces un instante (A Thousand Times a Moment), created by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, was unveiled in London’s iconic Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square. This plaster sculpture represents the faces of 726 transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals. Margolles, known for her conceptual work, photography, and videography, describes the piece as a tribute to her friend Carla, a transgender woman brutally murdered in Ciudad Juárez. The artwork, which will be displayed for two years, symbolizes a powerful testament to the trans community and seeks to raise awareness of the violence and discrimination they face.

Margolles highlights the alarming rates of hate crimes against trans people, especially in Latin America, where Brazil and Mexico lead in the number of such killings. She emphasizes that it’s crucial to bring these stories into public spaces, asserting that solidarity and friendship must be the future of society. The artist calls the sculpture “small in scale but full of internal strength,” as each face molded in plaster represents a deeply personal story of resilience and humanity.

During the unveiling ceremony in London, Grecia Herrera, a close collaborator with Margolles on the project, emphasized the importance of the artwork for the trans community. She noted that the sculpture's international visibility gives a platform to the often overlooked and painful stories of trans women, fostering global awareness of their struggles.

The piece was created using plaster molds applied directly to the faces of participants in cities like Mexico City, Juárez, and London. Collaborating with groups such as Micro Rainbow and QUEERCIRCLE, Margolles aimed to capture not only the physical features but also the essence of the participants, including their hair and skin imprints. This intimate process represents more than just the individuals—it serves as a reminder of the ongoing violence, disappearances, and murders affecting the trans community, particularly in Latin America.

Margolles’ Mil veces un instante is a poignant and politically charged sculpture, aiming to provoke reflection and conversation about the lives and deaths of transgender people. Its placement in Trafalgar Square, a prominent public space, offers a platform for these stories to be seen and heard by a global audience. The artist hopes the work will inspire solidarity and compassion, urging society to recognize the injustices faced by marginalized communities. Through this powerful tribute, Margolles continues her mission to create art that not only engages with societal issues but also immortalizes the personal histories of those most vulnerable.

In this way, Mil veces un instante stands as a lasting memorial to the trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals whose lives have been impacted by violence and prejudice, while also celebrating their resilience and humanity.