Innovative illuminated sculpture by internationally acclaimed Glasgow artist shines over the city
Newly installed in Sauchiehall Street, on the roof of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, the illuminated text-based sculpture displays the thought-provoking phrase, WE ARE THE MONUMENT.
The specially commissioned work has been created by celebrated Glasgow-based artist Nathan Coley, who has won several important national art awards and was shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize award in 2007.
WE ARE THE MONUMENT comprises sixteen 46cm-high LED illuminated capital letters spelling out the phrase on a scaffolding framework spanning 10m.
It is one of three Coley artworks which have been brought into Glasgow’s city museum collection by Glasgow Life Museums with support from Art Fund, the national charity for museums and galleries, and the National Fund for Acquisitions.
Coley’s works – spanning a wide range of media including sculpture, photography and film – have achieved significant global acclaim. In addition to having been showcased in many important solo and group exhibitions internationally, they are held in some of the world’s most notable public and private collections.
A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Coley is best known for his sculptural installations. Driven by research focused on the social aspects of our built environment, these explore how people and places shape each other, the ways in which communities and individuals relate to public spaces and architecture, and how our systems of personal, social, religious and political belief structure our towns and cities – and thereby us.
Other text-based illuminated sculptures created by the artist include: We Must Cultivate Our Garden (2006) – which was exhibited outside Tate Modern in 2023 and is now in the Tate Collection, There Will Be No Miracles Here (2006) – which explores belief and is located at Edinburgh’s National Galleries of Scotland – and Coley’s largest text sculpture to date, From Here, All the Worlds Futures, From Here, All the Worlds Pasts (2020), a work created for the Liverpool biennial.
WE ARE THE MONUMENT takes its title from a text by American social commentator Rebecca Solnit. This discusses how cities in the States memorialise major and often tragic events, such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. The writer argues that it is not the monument created to mark the event that is the true memorial, but the people and community – those who helped their neighbours, and the community that picks itself up and lives on.
Nathan Coley said: “WE ARE THE MONUMENT asks why and how we memorialise events, how public statues represent us (or not), who and what they are for, and what role they have in our public life. At a time in our culture when questions of representation and visibility are polarising communities, the work is, hopefully, inclusive, but also challenging.
“The work changes depending on the context and the audience who see it. Here, in its first display site – overlooking the city on the roof of a public building, and beaming its light and message down on Sauchiehall Street – it can take on many forms. It’s speaking to the diverse and ever-evolving community that lives on the street and surrounding areas.
“It overlooks the burned-out shells of the Mackintosh Building and ABC, and the now-closed CCA – important cultural venues whose legacy may now only be in the memories of those who loved and used them. What, who and how will the city decide to memorialise them in the future?
“With George Square being renovated and the city changing in exciting ways, this work aims to make us stop and think about what this means and what we want – because in the end, it’s the people of Glasgow that are the monument.”
Glasgow Life Head of Museums and Collections, Jane Rowlands, said: “We’re delighted to have acquired works by internationally acclaimed Glasgow artist Nathan Coley for the city’s museum collection.
“His innovative creations challenge us to engage in conversations about how we interact with our built heritage, the meaning of the public places we share and occupy, and how we acknowledge and memorialise our past and connect to embrace the future.
“Being able to install WE ARE THE MONUMENT on the roof of the Dental Hospital for the work’s first year of public display enables us to extend our reach in the city beyond our museums’ walls. Its location also supports the ambitions of the Sauchiehall Street Culture and Heritage District redevelopment project that aims to celebrate the history of this much-loved city centre area and take forward its renewal.”
Art Fund Director, Jenny Waldman, said: “This striking public commission by Nathan Coley, overlooking one of Glasgow’s most historic streets, brings a new perspective to the city’s skyline and invites reflection from all who pass by.
“We’re delighted to support this significant work to enter Glasgow Life Museums' collection, and we are grateful to our National Art Pass members, whose generosity makes acquisitions like this possible for everyone to enjoy.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Oral Health Directorate General Manager, Lisa Dorrian, said: “Glasgow Dental Hospital and School is a busy and much‑loved part of the city centre, supporting patients and families from across Greater Glasgow and Clyde and beyond. We are delighted to see this artwork installed and to work in partnership with Glasgow Life to bring something positive, creative and distinctive into the local area.”