''M. K. Gandhi'' is a bronze statue of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Gandhi Square Gandhi Square (formerly Van Der Bijl Square and Government Square) is a plaza located in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is named after the political activist and pacifist, Mahatma Gandhi. History In 1900 on wh ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, which depicts the Indian independence campaigner and

nonviolent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

pacifist as a young man.

Description and history

Prior to the statue's unveiling the square had been named Government Square. It was unveiled by the Mayor of Johannesburg, Amos Masondo, on October 2, 2003, Gandhi's birthday. The square had previously been known as Government Square and was the location of the Johannesburg Law Courts where Gandhi practiced law. The main Johannesburg bus terminus now stands where the law courts were located.. Tinka Christopher was chosen as the statue's sculptor by the advisory committee of the

Johannesburg Art Gallery The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery in Joubert Park in the city centre of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest gallery on the continent with a collection that is larger than that of the Iziko South African National Gallery ...

. The piece took Christopher three months to complete, with Christopher saying that she worked "...worked 10 hours each day, seven days a week, to complete the work in time". The other shortlisted artists were Naomi Jacobson, Ben Omar, and Maureen Quin. The statue is situated on a 5 meter high plinth, and benches surround the base of the statue. The statue depicts Gandhi as he may have appeared in his time in Johannesburg, as a young man wearing his legal gown over his suit, with his cloak blown by the breeze. Gandhi holds a book and is looking forward. The statue contains an alarm monitored by a security company that detects vibrations arriving from theft. The statue was half funded by the city of Johannesburg, with the remainder coming from private donations.

References

{{Greater Johannesburg, city 2003 establishments in South Africa 2003 sculptures Buildings and structures in Johannesburg Outdoor sculptures in South Africa Sculptures of men in South Africa Statues in South Africa

Public art in Johannesburg Books in art

Description and history

See also

References