To whom was the monument of 50 steel columns in South Africa built?

“Release” is a monumental sculpture created by South African artist Marco Cianfanelli as a tribute to Nelson Mandela on the 50th anniversary of his capture by the Apartheid police in 1962.

“This represents the momentum gained in the struggle through the symbolic of Mandela’s capture. The 50 columns represent the 50 years since his capture, but they also suggest the idea of many making the whole; of solidarity. It points to an irony as the political act of Mandela’s incarceration cemented his status as an icon of struggle, which helped ferment the groundswell of resistance, solidarity and uprising, bringing about political change and democracy.” - Marco Cianfanelli