Hew Locke: what have we here?

Hew Locke's book presents the overlooked and excluded segments of British legacy, using art to question what we already know and what there is yet to learn. He explores colonialism and cultural interactions through the British Museums collection, engaging with the collections in a deeper way than ever before. The book addresses the history and collections of the British Empire, focusing on Britains historic interactions with Africa, India, and the Caribbean from around 1600 onwards. Locke creates a personal exploration of the subject, weaving in his own works and a new commission titled The Watchers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 17 October 2024
Publisher: British Museum Press

A remarkable book… a precious album or scrapbook of ideas, insights, and specially chosen images of objects that have a multitude of stories to tell. – Art Africa magazine ‘What have we here?’ presents us with the overlooked and excluded segments of British legacy, utilising the power of art to question what we already know, and what there is yet to learn. – Palatinate Together with his own artworks, contemporary artist Hew Locke uses the British Museums collection as a springboard to explore themes of colonialism and cultural interactions. ‘This project has enabled me to engage with the museums collections in a much deeper way than ever before, and in a way few artists have had the privilege of doing. I have always been interested in the way objects are interpreted through display in museums. What story has been distilled and is being told or implied about the past? How does it relate to the present? How can this telling be questioned, disrupted, or complicated? The British Museums history and collections are closely linked to those of the British Empire, which this book addresses alongside a consideration of today’s often contentious and deeply felt debates around cultural heritage. Focusing on Britain’s historic interactions with Africa, India, and the Caribbean from around 1600 onwards, all of which had an impact on Guyana (where Locke grew up), Locke creates a personal exploration of the subject, weaving in his own works such as the Souvenir series and a new commission titled The Watchers. Using interventionist techniques to reframe the collections historical objects, the artist hopes to leave readers with more questions than answers.

Weight: 722g
Dimension: 377 x 248 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780714123509