A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020

On 7 June 2020 the statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th- and 18th-century Bristol merchant, philanthropist and Member of Parliament who had been involved in the Atlantic slave trade, The statue had become a focal point of protests against the part Bristol played in the slave trade. Following the toppling of the statue, Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid, a woman of Jamaican descent, Reid said: "Seeing the statue of Edward Colston being thrown into the river felt like a truly historical moment; huge. When I was stood there on the plinth, and raised my arm in a Black Power salute, it was totally spontaneous, I didn't even think about it. My immediate thoughts were for the enslaved…

The statue A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020 was constructed by the artist Marc Quinn and his team from black resin and steel. She is depicted wearing a casual jacket over a dress or skirt, and the black beret and glove which she had bought specifically for the march. Quinn and Reid describe the work as a collaboration between them, Reid and Quinn have designated the work as not-for-profit, stating that, if the sculpture ends up being sold, profits would be donated to Cargo Classroom and The Black Curriculum, two educational charities chosen by Reid.