A new national monument commemorating Queen Elizabeth II will feature a sculpture by British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. The new public park project, at the heart of St James’s Park in central London, will be designed by a team led by architect Norman Foster and his firm Foster + Partners. The final design will be presented in April 2026, coinciding with the late Queen’s 100th birthday. However, the official unveiling date has not yet been announced.
The proposal, selected from five shortlisted projects, envisions a serene garden with a natural stone path. Integral to the design is Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture. Previous iterations of Shonibare’s “Wind Sculpture” series, one of which was unveiled in New York’s Central Park in 2018, resemble massive Ankara fabrics blowing in the wind. The official competition website stated the sculpture will be “a space for reflection and shared experience.”
“We have discreetly stretched the boundaries of art and technology with a deliberately gentle intervention,” Foster said in a statement. “Our design will have the minimum impact on the nature and biodiversity of the park, and it will be phased to ensure that the precious route across it will never be closed.”
The design also includes a new bridge that will replace the existing Blue Bridge over the park’s lake. The bridge features a cast-glass balustrade inspired by the Queen Mary fringe tiara, famously worn by Elizabeth II at her 1947 wedding. The memorial will also feature new figurative sculptures of the late Queen and Prince Philip near Birdcage Walk, a gate named after Prince Philip, and a central monument to Elizabeth II adjacent to the Mall.
“Her Majesty loved history and tradition, so this is reflected in the inspiration of the original design of St James’s Park by Sir John Nash,” Foster said. “Some of his principles have survived, whilst others have been lost and will be restored, creating a family of gardens joined by gently meandering paths.”
Shonibare has been the subject of major solo exhibitions around the world. Recent shows have been presented by London’s Serpentine Galleries in 2024, New York’s James Cohan Gallery in 2023, and South Africa’s Goodman Gallery in 2022. A recent solo show, “Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities],” opened at Foundation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on April 11th.
The other four shortlisted teams included Heatherwick Studio with Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup; J&L Gibbons with Michael Levine RDI, William Matthews Associates, Structure Workshop and Arup; Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, Adam Lowe (Factum Arte) and Structure Workshop; and WilkinsonEyre with Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clark, Andy Sturgeon Design, Atelier One and Hilson Moran.
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