Bob Marley fans around the world react as his statue returns to the Baltic Triangle

Bob Marley fans around the world have reacted with huge love after his statue was reinstalled in the Baltic Triangle.

The sculpture by Andy Edwards, who also created the Beatles statue at the Pier Head, was originally unveiled by Liverpool dub poet Levi Tafari in 2021 on the public art plinth in Jamaica Street.

It was commissioned and funded by Positive Vibration, a reggae festival in Liverpool run by Rory Taylor.

Now, after three years in storage, the much-loved landmark artwork is back and fans in the city and worldwide can’t wait to visit it again.

A reel shared by Baltic Creative showing it being carried into place has already had more than 2.5million views on Facebook and over 400,000 on Instagram within days of his return.

Rory says the return of one of the greatest ever music icons has been met with an outpouring of positivity. He said:

“The response to him coming back has been overwhelming, I knew he was loved but I didn’t realise how much,”

“When we first commissioned the statue, it was because we love Bob Marley. It’s always been about him, his music and what it represents, and we did it with the blessing of the Marley family.

“For me and millions of people around the world, including many people in Liverpool, Bob Marley and his music represent togetherness and unity which is something we need more than ever right now.

“I’ve been asking for the last couple of years if we should put him back and now he’s on the McKeown Rice Exhibition Space again and we have plans for him to stay in the Baltic Triangle permanently.”

Rory says although the statue was hugely popular as soon as it arrived, it was taken down after two years for a couple of reasons.

The first was that the plinth was designed to showcase and exhibit different artwork and to change regularly, and also the construction of the statue made it vulnerable to damage.

Rory explains:

“He was made in clay by Andy, then cast in fibreglass by Castle Fine Arts Foundry which was based in the Baltic at the time.”

“Although there is a structure inside, certain parts like the guitar were particularly susceptible to damage so in 2023 he was taken down and put back in the foundry while we decided what to do with him.

“But since then we’ve had so many people asking for him to be back, and Bob Marley fans still come to Liverpool to see him and want to know where he is.”

Rory says the statue has returned not only because of public demand, but hopefully as the catalyst to a longer-term future.

“Our intention is to get him cast in bronze so he’s stronger and more resilient. Me, Baltic Creative, Andy the sculptor and Castle Fine Arts Foundry are putting our heads together to raise the money, probably through sponsorship, so he’ll be on that plinth for a little while then maybe we could create a permanent one for him on Jamaica Street. 

“As far as I know there are only three statues of Bob Marley: one at Hope Road, Kingston in Jamaica where he lived, one in Eastern Europe and ours. 

“People have their photos taken with Bob, they tell me that they speak to him, they’ve made music videos with him, put scarves around him and left poems by him. The smiles he puts on people’s faces and the joy the statue brings is amazing and I hope it continues to do so for many years to come.”

Find out more about the Baltic Triangle here.

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