Hew Locke
Middleton and Tonge Cotton Mill, 2023
Acrylic on original antique share certificate
24 x 26.5 cm
9 1/2 x 10 3/8 in
Framed: 32.1 x 33.7 x 3.7 cm
12 5/8 x 13 1/4 x 1 1/2 in
9 1/2 x 10 3/8 in
Framed: 32.1 x 33.7 x 3.7 cm
12 5/8 x 13 1/4 x 1 1/2 in
Hew Locke (b. Edinburgh, UK, 1959) spent his formative years (1966-1980) in Guyana before returning to the UK to complete an MA in Sculpture at Royal College of Art (1994)....
Hew Locke (b. Edinburgh, UK, 1959) spent his formative years (1966-1980) in Guyana before returning to the UK to complete an MA in Sculpture at Royal College of Art (1994).
Locke’s practice addresses the symbolism of statuary, monarchy and ships; how different cultures fashion their identities through visual symbols of authority; and how these representations are altered by the passage of time. Throughout an extensive and complex practice, Locke remains dedicated to illuminating histories – highlighting the relevance of the past within the context of contemporary culture and politics. Through various motifs, Locke reassesses the figureheads and imagery that represent nationhood. His critique of existing power structures in subtle and open-ended, encouraging the viewer to look more closely.
In his Share series, Locke reworks and paints over original shares and bonds. These paper relics, which often refer to now defunct or bankrupt companies, once represented fortunes. Through his adaptions of these original documents, Locke creates relationships between different histories; weaving narratives between the history of the companies, their location, their development and their ultimate demise. Locke’s manipulation of the found histories of the share certificates draws the viewer’s attention to the pre-conceptions and narratives surrounding the movement of money, power, ownership and people.
Middleton and Tonge Cotton Mill (2023) is adorned with a painting of Mahatma Gandhi who visited a cotton mill in 1931, where he was welcomed by locals. The Lancashire textile industry had been decimated by the Indian independence movement's boycott of British goods and woven cotton – known as the Swadeshi movement. British cloth was burnt in heaps during the Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements. And most likely, Lancashire would have been the place of its manufacture. Since the nineteenth century Lancashire had been the site of the world’s premier cotton-goods industry. The weaving towns of the region had flourished through trade, as the British Empire had provided ever expanding markets for the goods produced by these cotton mills, along with ensuring a ready supply of cheap, raw cotton from the Empire and American deep south. Indian textile manufacturing and home trade had been destroyed. In 1913, the year before World War I broke out, almost 60 per cent of Lancashire cotton products were exported to India.
Locke’s practice addresses the symbolism of statuary, monarchy and ships; how different cultures fashion their identities through visual symbols of authority; and how these representations are altered by the passage of time. Throughout an extensive and complex practice, Locke remains dedicated to illuminating histories – highlighting the relevance of the past within the context of contemporary culture and politics. Through various motifs, Locke reassesses the figureheads and imagery that represent nationhood. His critique of existing power structures in subtle and open-ended, encouraging the viewer to look more closely.
In his Share series, Locke reworks and paints over original shares and bonds. These paper relics, which often refer to now defunct or bankrupt companies, once represented fortunes. Through his adaptions of these original documents, Locke creates relationships between different histories; weaving narratives between the history of the companies, their location, their development and their ultimate demise. Locke’s manipulation of the found histories of the share certificates draws the viewer’s attention to the pre-conceptions and narratives surrounding the movement of money, power, ownership and people.
Middleton and Tonge Cotton Mill (2023) is adorned with a painting of Mahatma Gandhi who visited a cotton mill in 1931, where he was welcomed by locals. The Lancashire textile industry had been decimated by the Indian independence movement's boycott of British goods and woven cotton – known as the Swadeshi movement. British cloth was burnt in heaps during the Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements. And most likely, Lancashire would have been the place of its manufacture. Since the nineteenth century Lancashire had been the site of the world’s premier cotton-goods industry. The weaving towns of the region had flourished through trade, as the British Empire had provided ever expanding markets for the goods produced by these cotton mills, along with ensuring a ready supply of cheap, raw cotton from the Empire and American deep south. Indian textile manufacturing and home trade had been destroyed. In 1913, the year before World War I broke out, almost 60 per cent of Lancashire cotton products were exported to India.