Iconic Figurehead II statue finds new home at Marjon

Released: 13.03.23

Plymouth Marjon University is delighted to welcome the Figurehead II sculpture to its campus this month. It was previously displayed at The Box, Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art gallery, and archive. 

The sculpture was commissioned by The Box ahead of its launch in September 2020 and was one of the highlights of its ‘Making It’ exhibition, which featured the work of five different international artists. 

Figurehead II was created by the internationally renowned Alexandre da Cunha whose work has also been featured in the Tate Modern. Brazilian-born da Cunha often appropriates and subtly changes found objects, giving them new life. His pieces have a strong sense of community and social engagement and invite audiences to see things from a different perspective, values that strongly align with Marjon. 

As part of the Plymouth Public Art Plan, Figurehead II will be installed next to the Marjon Arts Centre at the University a striking new addition to the University’s ever-growing offer of arts and culture in the north of the city.  

Sarah McAdam, Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Plymouth Marjon University, said:  

“Concrete has such a history in Plymouth and at Marjon, and this feels like the perfect home for this piece of work.  We've been pushing the boundaries of innovation for over 180 years, and we don't intend to slow down. This collaboration between The Box and Marjon helps to bring art and culture to the north of the city and ensures that our local communities can easily access the arts.” 

Victoria Pomery, Chief Executive Officer at The Box, added: “Figurehead II proved really popular with visitors when it was displayed at The Box, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to find a permanent home for the sculpture here in the city. It’s a great addition to the public realm at Marjon and the city’s wider public art offer, and a really positive legacy from our changing exhibition programme.” 

The sculpture, brutalist in style, aligns with the original 1970s campus architecture at Plymouth Marjon University, as well as the post-war construction of Plymouth. Figurehead II is a sequel piece to Figurehead I which was placed outside Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. 

This year, Marjon celebrates 50 years of being in Plymouth and 100 years of being the combined colleges of St Mark and St John (Marjon). The statue bolsters the University’s offer to the public of its open campus, green spaces, community shop, Sport and Health Centre, health and wellbeing clinics, and performances at the Marjon Arts Centre. 

Figurehead II will be unveiled at the University on Wednesday 22 March. 

To find out more about what you can access at Marjon, visit www.marjon.ac.uk.

(Photo: Figurehead II, 2020 by Alexandre da Cunha on display at The Box. Image by Getty, courtesy of The Box.)