Six artists were shortlisted to create a London memorial to victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Now, after a public vote, the final design has been revealed.
ADVERTISEMENTFollowing a public consultation – during which the public could vote for their favourite – ‘The Wake’ by Khaleb Brooks will be the British capital’s first memorial to the victims of transatlantic slavery.
Designed to reflect on the role London played in slavery – and the way slavery shaped the British capital – the memorial artwork will be located in West India Quay in London’s Docklands, close to warehouses built to house goods produced via slavery.
Brooks’s immersive sculpture takes inspiration from the shape of a cowrie shell – used as a means of exchange for enslaved individuals – to create a space of gathering, grieving, listening and remembering.
The winning design was announced on Friday 23 August, the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
“We are our history, it tells us where we’ve been, where we are and the direction we could go,” Brooks says. “The Wake is an opportunity for us to not just acknowledge the victims of the trade, but to honour how far we’ve come and actively engage in the current necessity for social change.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has earmarked £500,000 (€587,000) for the memorial, which is expected to be unveiled in the summer of 2026.
Khan called Khaleb’s work “a stark reminder of the pain and suffering caused by transatlantic slavery and the role the UK and London played”.
“It’s essential that London’s streets, statues and memorials reflect our shared history, and this memorial will help to remind and educate Londoners of the capital’s role in this terrible treatment of human beings,” Khan said. “It will also honour the achievements of descendant communities, as we continue to build a better and fairer London for everyone.”
