New Fourth Plinth design unveiled by DMU's Turner Prize-nominated artist

Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth has been adorned with a piece of art created by former De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student and Turner Prize nominee, David Shrigley - a giant thumb-up.

Photo credit: PA Wire

David, whose parents live in Oadby, was also the man behind "the world's scariest" football mascot, Partick Thistle's Kingsley.

Now, his latest work, title Really Good, is the 11th sculpture to feature on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth.

The seven-metre black statue, which features a fist sticking up an elongated thumb, was unveiled by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said he hoped it would help bring a sense of positivity to the city, particularly in the wake of the EU referendum result.

"I am an optimist," said the Labour mayor. "But we have to recognise there has been some doom and gloom after Brexit, so this speaks to everyone."

But Mr Shrigley, who completed his Art Foundation course at DMU and was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts at the university in 2014, was less certain about the message his piece delivers.

He said: "I first said it was a piece to make the world a better place, which in a way is a ridiculous proposition because art is an inanimate object, it can't change the world.

"Originally it was an ironic statement, but when I come to analyse it, you've got to imagine that your work will make the world a better place.

"It's a very ambiguous work of art because with just that general gesture of approval you're invited to imagine what it's approving of - is it an approval to change things or is it an endorsement of the status quo?

"The debate that surrounds it will inform what the work is. I like the fact that the mayor has decided it's an optimistic thing, so I guess that's what it is, because the mayor said so.

"People will project their own meaning onto it, but I jokingly say to people 'It means everything - but it doesn't mean that'."