Hew Locke | Ways of Seeing | Walthamstow Library

Hales Gallery is excited to announce the inclusion of Hew Locke in Ways of Seeing, at Walthamstow Library. Ways of Seeing is in partnership between Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 and the Government Art Collection. The exhibition turns the borough into a gallery with 33 internationally renowned artists displayed in 28 unexpected locations.

 

Hew Locke explores power and cultural identity in his work. This photograph is from a series called How Do You Want Me? (2007). The artist dressed up as sinister characters including corrupt kings and tyrants. Here, he is an empress. He wears a gown made from plastic flowers, baby dolls and tigers. Above him is a royal coat of arms. This colourful photograph uses parody as a way of inviting us to think. Do we get to choose our identity or do others choose it for us?

 

Locke grew up in Guyana, South America, which was under British rule until 1966. As a child, he became interested in symbols of power, particularly the Queen’s image. His work explores the tension between contemporary Britain and its colonial past.
  

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Hew Locke

Ways of Seeing

Walthamstow Library

High Street, Walthamstow

E17 7JN

London

24 April - 31 August 2019

June 26, 2019