‘Anti-colonial’ monument inspired by Victoria Memorial, depicting noose and slaves goes on display

A sculpture taking aim at colonialism, modelled on the famed Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace, has gone on display at London’s Tate Modern.

‘Fons Americanus’ is a 42ft fountain by New York-based artist Kara Walker, who describes it as a ‘counter memorial’ to the original, stripping the gold leaf off and baring the Empire’s past.

Rather than Queen Victoria flanked by Truth and Justice, a noose hangs from a tree on one side while a white colonist kneels on the other.

Below, in the water, are drowning slaves flailing amongst sharks while sculptures of sail ships which once crossed the Atlantic full of human cargo cut across the waves. 

The Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace

Rather than Queen Victoria flanked by Truth and Justice, a noose hangs from a tree on one side while a white colonist kneels on the other, and instead of mermaids in the water at the bottom are drowning slaves (pictured: ‘Fons Americanus’ at the Tate Modern, left, and the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace, right)

A monarch does feature in the form of 'Queen Vicky,' a caricature African figure who bears a coconut and whose skirt hangs over a huddled man, who represents 'Melancholy'

A monarch does feature in the form of ‘Queen Vicky,’ a caricature African figure who bears a coconut and whose skirt hangs over a huddled man, who represents ‘Melancholy’

The imagery across the fountain is derived from an array of literary and historical figures which The New York Times has called ‘a monumental jab at Britannia.’

The drowning slaves are inspired by J.M.W. Turner’s Slave Ship painting, based on the Zong massacre in which more than 130 slaves were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship so that insurance money could be collected. 

Meanwhile, the central figure of ‘The Captain’ is inspired by Marcus Garvey or the fictional Emperor Jones, both freedom fighters with an autocratic bent.

A monarch does feature in the form of ‘Queen Vicky,’ a caricature African figure who bears a coconut and whose skirt hangs over a huddled man, who represents ‘Melancholy,’ Walker told The New York Times. 

Kara Walker's 'Fons Americanus'  is the latest commission to fill the Tate Modern's vast Turbine Hall. The imagery across the fountain is derived from an array of literary and historical figures which The New York Times has called 'a monumental jab at Britannia'

Kara Walker’s ‘Fons Americanus’  is the latest commission to fill the Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall. The imagery across the fountain is derived from an array of literary and historical figures which The New York Times has called ‘a monumental jab at Britannia’

The drowning slaves are inspired by J.M.W. Turner's Slave Ship painting, based on the Zong massacre in which more than 130 slaves were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship so that insurance money could be collected

The drowning slaves are inspired by J.M.W. Turner’s Slave Ship painting, based on the Zong massacre in which more than 130 slaves were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship so that insurance money could be collected

The figure of 'The Captain' represents Marcus Garvey or the fictional Emperor Jones and is flaked by a noose to his right and a kneeling white colonist to his left

The figure of ‘The Captain’ represents Marcus Garvey or the fictional Emperor Jones and is flaked by a noose to his right and a kneeling white colonist to his left

Walker said she had never seen the original before visiting the Turbine Hall after winning the commission, but says she saw it on the way back to Heathrow Airport in her taxi.

‘I hadn’t even seen it (the Victoria Memorial) before,’ Ms. Walker told the NYT. ‘I took a bunch of pictures out the window, because I was like – this is so totally my thing.’ 

Walker’s work, the latest Hyundai Commission, sits in the gallery’s vast Turbine Hall and is accompanied by a catalogue of the works her sculptures reference for visitors to peruse.

Clara Kim, Tate Modern’s Daskalopoulos senior curator, described the fountain as ‘a gift from one cultural subject to the heart of the Empire’.

She said: ‘Those are (Walker’s) words and we are really delighted to be hosting this project.

‘What is interesting is Kara’s interest in race and racial stereotypes over history has always been situated in her investigations at a particular moment in time.

Clara Kim, Tate Modern's Daskalopoulos senior curator, said: 'What is interesting is Kara's interest in race and racial stereotypes over history has always been situated in her investigations at a particular moment in time'

Clara Kim, Tate Modern’s Daskalopoulos senior curator, said: ‘What is interesting is Kara’s interest in race and racial stereotypes over history has always been situated in her investigations at a particular moment in time’

Clara Kim, Tate Modern's Daskalopoulos senior curator, described the fountain as 'a gift from one cultural subject to the heart of the Empire'

Clara Kim, Tate Modern’s Daskalopoulos senior curator, described the fountain as ‘a gift from one cultural subject to the heart of the Empire’

The woman at the top of the statue is supposed to be a black woman and the water spouting from her breasts is said to represent mother's milk

The woman at the top of the statue is supposed to be a black woman and the water spouting from her breasts is said to represent mother’s milk

‘What is fascinating is that her negotiations of race and racial identities and sexual identities are then brought forward into the history of the British Empire and the legacies of the Empire, by looking at the interconnections between America, Africa and the United Kingdom.’

Walker, 49, was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and made her name exploring the intricacies of race, sexuality and violence through the history of slavery.

The Hyundai Commission is open to the public daily from 10am to 6pm and until 10pm on Friday and Saturdays.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk