The recent weather in London lends itself to ice cream, perhaps more than elsewhere in the country. Thankfully, conceptual artist Heather Phillipson has answered the call, building a 31-foot statue of a dollop of cream, with a precariously positioned fly sitting atop it.
The work, which comes some four months later than planned, is part of Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth project, a series of commissions that endeavour to bring modern art to central London. Sitting just in view of the National Gallery one wonders how the Rueben’s who overlook it feel.
The piece, entitled “The End” was perhaps ill-timed, especially given the nature of the pandemic. However, Phillipson defended its erection, noting that: “It started to feel like there’d never be a good time, or a right time, for it to go up.”
“The End” was unveiled on Thursday, though its conception dates more closely to the UK’s decision to exit the European Union. While the artist’s intention is that the piece is considered to represent how precarious the world felt, both then and now, she notes it is up to the discretion of the viewer as to how they chose to interpret it.
“Personally, I’m drawn to stuff that baffles me,” she notes. “If I don’t get it, that’s when I’m hooked.”
As it happens “The End” is just the beginning. Phillipson has scored the most elusive of gigs – tasked with transforming the central gallery at the Tate into whatever she sees fit. Postponed until next year, Phillipson hopes to change it into “a suite of deranged landscapes, addressing the earth as a thinking eruption, on the verge of termination.” For now, we’ll just have to settle for an oversized ice cream.
