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It's time for a rethink on the fourth plinth, says Mayor's new culture and arts director
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent14.05.08
Boris Johnson's new culture director today attacked the politically correct "box-ticking" approach to the arts in London.
In her first interview since being appointed, Munira Mirza - who has already criticised the Trafalgar Square fourth plinth project - also told the Evening Standard she would "review everything".
The 30-year-old Muslim arts commentator has been scathing about Labour's attempts to increase "access" to the arts and projects which give help specifically to Asians, as well as the approach to arts funding and management.
She said her appointment was "a really exciting opportunity for me to put into practice lots of things I've been talking about in the past few years.
"I've argued for a much less instrumentalist politicised approach, freeing up the arts and enabling them to deliver high-quality projects," said Ms Mirza.
"There are people working in arts organisations who feel that in recent years there has been a sacrifice of quality and excellence in favour of ticking the right boxes and using the right buzz words because that's what their masters tell them.
"There is a tendency for governments and politicians to place burdens on them."
Ms Mirza, who will take up her post next month, said she would review two of Ken Livingstone's main cultural policies - the fourth plinth and his free festivals programme.
"No decisions have been made yet," she said. "Because I haven't started, I can't say. We will review everything."
The empty plinth has been occupied by a string of different art works in recent years after the former mayor decided against installing a single sculpture. In March, Mr Johnson gave his backing to a campaign for a permanent memorial to Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park.
Ms Mirza expressed her own reservations about the fourth plinth project in an article in which she described Marc Quinn's statue of disabled artist Alison Lapper pregnant as "preachy" and more elitist than the military statues around it.
The Oxford University graduate also triggered controversy with a report on the "paradox of multiculturalism" about British Muslims.
On London's festivals, she appears more committed than Mr Johnson, who suggested he would keep them if private sponsorship could be found.
Ms Mirza said: "The events programme in London has been very successful and we would like to continue to organise big public events."
In keeping with Mr Johnson's wooing of the suburbs, she promised to make sure that the capital's outer boroughs benefit from as much high-quality culture as the residents of central London. She said: "What [Boris] started in his campaign was about really going into the outer boroughs and enabling and enriching provision for all sorts of things out there. Arts and culture are part of that. London centre has a wealth of creative activity but there are parts of London where there isn't a cinema or where library provision is quite weak."
Mr Johnson laid out no other cultural policies in his mayoral campaign.
Ms Mirza said the importance of the creative industries in the capital was evident, adding: "[Boris] does care about the arts. He has a very strong commitment to high quality."
Since graduating in 1999, Ms Mirza worked for a range of think tank and charity organisations, including the Royal Society of Arts and the independent think tank Policy Exchange. She has taught at the University of Kent and University of East London. In 2004 she completed her MA in Social Research and is working on a PhD at the University of Kent, examining developments in UK cultural policy and multiculturalism.
She previously sat on the Tories' independent taskforce on the arts under the leadership of Sir John Tusa.
It recommended radical changes to the powers of the Arts Council and the funding of Britain's national arts bodies, although none of these ideas has yet been formally adopted by the Conservatives.
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Reader views (24)
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I agree with every word said by Peter Vacher on your website - Sir Keith Park made a massive difference to the outcome of the Second World War, and deserves some recognition at long last. Some modern statue with an 'arty concept' could no doubt never have even been considered for a plinth had Sir Keith Park not been such a tremendous leader, so different would have been our way of life now - we would never have had such freedom if we had been invaded by Hitler.
- Carol Turnham, Gloucestershire
Can't think of anyone more of the people than Alison Lapper. It struck me that her statue was the one down to earth piece put on the fourth plinth. Personally I think its a good idea to keep changing it...and I guess I'll accept that for at least four years it'll be informed by a rightist agenda. But please, not more war 'heroes'.
- Carl Reynolds, Peckham
I remember walking past the Alison Lapper statue and wondering what the hell it was and also thinking it was a bit rubbish. We should have statues of things which mean something to British people and I mean normal working class people and notmembers of the art world. These statues should be for sharing and appeal to everyone.
- Lb, London
