Cathy's Art Diary

Thoughtful exhibition at the British Museum by contemporary artist Hew Locke examining the museums relationship with Imperial power. It is a complex subject and is presented as a dialogue, with exhibits arranged as if in a storeroom. I feared it would feel preachy but it was more nuanced. From the welcome via video by the artist with a sparkle in his eye I was captivated. There was a mix of original artefacts combined with new pieces commenting on them by Locke all overseen by some of his signature figures looking down from on top of the cabinets. My only negative comment would be that they were hard to see and often they are fabulously detailed. I learnt some stories I didn’t know, had some turned on their heads and other things confirmed. I came away with a lot to think about as well as having seen some amazing things. Closes 9 February 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard  

Entertaining online discussion from the Victoria and Albert Museum focusing on the contemporary artists Hew Locke. Locke was interviewed by Janice Jeffries, an artist and curator who had known him since 2004 when he had works in a show she curated called “Boys Who Sew”. The discussion was base around excellent illustrations of his work. I had loved Locke’s recent installation at Tate Britain but didn’t know his other work. I now want to see a lot more! He says he collects suitcases of ‘stuff’ wherever he goes in the world which hang around his studio until he incorporates them into work. I loved his description of his work as “meticulously unfinished” and how he wants to tackle difficult subjects with joy “I can’t live in misery”. I would particularly have liked to see “The Tourists” from 2015 on HMS Belfast in which he put masks on the mannequins which were already there with the idea that they were forming a band. He talked about the controversy this caused at the time but he ...

Fabulous installation at Tate Britain by Hew Locke. As the title suggests this work is a great procession through the huge Duveen Galleries made up of hundreds of brightly dressed mannequins moving through the space in protest, celebration, I’m not sure. At first glance they seem jubilant but as you move though you realise some have guns and many wave flags. Some of the figures wear prints drawn from colonial documents, currency and handbills. They seem to group into clans of similarly dressed figures. Ost unnerving are the childlike figures amongst them. I loved the way you could walk around them finding more and more as you moved down the gallery. On the one hand they felt quite intimidating but on the other you wanted to join in. I went to see other things on that floor but kept being drawn back for another look. I’ll definitely be going back. I’m not sure I understood all the nuances but there is certainly something about colonialism and the legacy of the galleries founder’s...

Interesting exhibition at the Imperial War Museum of work by contemporary artist Hew Locke on the subject of conflict. In particular he looks at naval power including trade, travel and cultural exchange. I loved Ghost Ship which was a model of a war ship floating in a glass case with skulls on chins hanging down from it. The way it sat in the case had a feeling of Damian Hurst’s shark about it. The write up said his floating ships are influenced by the votive ships found in churches donated in thanks for successful and safe journeys. One wall was taken up by a great picture of another battleship with ferrymen rowing it. It was made up of great length of plastic beads some forming the pictures and some just hanging down. It looked very tactile!