In conversation with Dr Maryam Ohadi-Hamadani, Department of Art History, University of Edinburgh
Hew Locke is a Guyanese-British sculptor and contemporary artist. Born in Edinburgh in 1959, he spent his formative years (1966-80) in Guyana before returning to study in Britain.
Locke explores the languages of colonial and post-colonial power, how different cultures fashion their identities through visual symbols of authority, and how these representations are altered by the passage of time. These explorations have led Locke to a wide range of subject matters, imagery and media, assembling sources across time and space in his deeply layered artworks.
Locke’s Duveen Hall Commission for Tate Britain, The Procession, opened in March this year, and in September 2022 his work Gilt will be unveiled as the Façade Commission for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Locke has had several solo exhibitions in the UK and USA, and is regularly included in international exhibitions and biennales. His works have been acquired by collections such as The Tate Gallery, London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jeanne van Heeswijk will present this year’s Keynote Lecture on Friday 29 July.
The Endnote Lecture is presented in partnership with British Council Scotland.
