Hew Locke RA (b. Edinburgh, UK, 1959) is a Guyanese-British artist. He spent his formative years (1966-80) in Guyana before returning to the UK to complete an MA in sculpture at the Royal College of Art (1994). He was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2022.

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. 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.

Painting and drawing on photographs, is an important thread of Locke’s practice, in which he layers new narratives in reaction to the purity of the photographic image. In this series of painted photographs of buildings, Locke bestows a spirituality to the once grandiose houses of Guyana. The wooden architecture has fallen into disrepair, returning back to the earth from which they originally came as trees. Locke sees them as spirit houses, quietly holding on to legacies, nostalgia and memories of his youth. The watery elements refer to rising sea levels as well as memories being washed away.