Turn the statue of Rhodes into the embarrassed wall, says Antony Gormley

One of Britain’s most famous sculptors has proposed a new solution discuss the statue of Cecil Rhodes Above a college in Oxford: turn the embarrassed colonialist against the wall.

Sir Antony Gormley, known for striking public art like the angel of the North, told the Financial Times that turning to Rhodes would help correct the “collective amnesia” surrounding these monuments, addressing the differences in the nation’s imperial past.

“Rhodes should stay in his niche,” Gormley said in the 19th century. The imperialist of the century rejected the arguments for removing Oriel College from the façade. “If we had to reshape our relationship with him, I’d look at the wall instead of looking outside.”

Adjusting his stance would mark a “recognition of collective embarrassment,” but “also reaffirmed that Oriel College and many institutions have assets of Rhodes’ wealth, ”Gormley said.

There has been a serious six-year conflict in the state between the Rhodes Must Fall anti-colonial movement, the divided university and ministers who have come out against the removal of “historic monuments”. The university decided last week to keep the statue in place.

Gormley described the moment he made a standing bronze image of another part of Oxford Statue of slave trader Edward Colston last year it was “dunked and recovered” from the port of Bristol as a sort of “baptism”. But he continues to be careful about bringing controversial memories to museums.

“The state is subject to collective amnesia very quickly. I don’t think it’s bad to ask again ‘who are these people and why are they here?’. But by removing them you support amnesia, ”he said.

Rhodes founded the Rhodesia and De Beers diamond companies and accumulated part of its wealth in Africa to help Oxford schools and establish a scholarship of the same name for beneficiaries like former US President Bill Clinton.

Critics say the history of exploiting black workers and laying the groundwork for racial segregation in South Africa should be condemned, not honored.

Last year in the face of street protests over the state, Oriel’s government team initially he voted in favor of removal and set up an independent committee to study the issues raised by his heritage and memorials.

But after the commission’s report was finalized, Oriel changed it last week and decided to keep the monument to itself. He mentioned the costs of obtaining a planning permit, which would be lengthy and likely to be blocked by local government secretary of state Robert Jenrick.

114-page report from the Committee he explored the possibilities for Oriel such as moving the statue of Rhodes inside the house, leaving the niche empty, or commissioning new works of art to fill the space.

Member of Parliament Sir John Hayes, who heads Parliament’s “Common Sense Group”, welcomed Gormley’s arguments in favor of maintaining the state, but called it “completely foolish”. “This is the main opinion that is as close as it is to abstract expressionism,” he said.