Michael Landy's memorial to aid workers, in development for over a decade, unveiled in London

"The UK artist Michael Landy has this week unveiled his memorial to humanitarian aid workers, which has been in development for over a decade. The new public art piece, which is located at Gunnersbury Park Museum in west London, is intended to commemorate all humanitarians who have been killed in service, of whatever nationality. Landy's work is comprised of a circle of 15 human-scale figures, grouped in fives, with spaces allowing visitors to complete the circle."

"Each figure is inscribed with text, provided by organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children, relaying the stories of individuals involved with humanitarian assistance. The Humanitarian Memorial Committee, the group of prominent UK-based humanitarians behind the work, first discussed the "vision of creating a lasting tribute to aid workers" in 2015. John Holmes, the chair of the committee, said at the unveiling yesterday (1 October) that the launch "marks the conclusion of a long journey to make the memorial a reality"."

The memorial was developed over more than a decade and is installed at Gunnersbury Park Museum in west London. The work consists of 15 human-scale figures arranged in a circle, grouped in fives with gaps that allow visitors to complete the ring. Each figure carries inscribed text supplied by organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children that recounts the stories of individuals involved in humanitarian assistance. A Humanitarian Memorial Committee began planning in 2015 and raised funds to realise the project, with the Contemporary Art Society overseeing the commission and artist selection. Representatives from Islamic Relief and Médecins Sans Frontières attended the unveiling; 383 aid workers were killed in 2024 across 27 countries, nearly half in Gaza.

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