After being closed for a two year renovation, The Yale Center for British Art reopened on March 30 and is once again fascinating visitors with its extensive collection and new exhibitions. Drawing people in right now are creations by Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke who incorporates multiple media, including sculpture, photography, drawing, and found objects in his work.
The exhibition is on the second floor, but one of Locke’s most impressive productions is on display in the museum’s expansive lobby. “Boats” consists of three vessels -“The Survivor,” “Desire,” and “The Relic.” All are made from wood and mixed media, with “Desire” adding metal and fabric. Inspired by his own journeys between Britain and Guyana, one can imagine that these trips were often difficult, even dangerous. The exhibition’s notes comment: “Like ghost ships, they are devoid of people, but their cargo alludes to disparate travelers, ranging from tourists and traders to refugees and pirates.”
Plastic is ubiquitous, so no surprise that in the late 1990s, the artist began to include in his creations items made from plastic – toys, animals, weapons, even fake gems. These works include: “Veni, Vidi, Vici (The Queen’s Coat of Arms),”recreating the royal coat of arms that appears on the cover of the British passport; and “Koh-i-noor,” based on an official portrait of Elizabeth II, but with lethal-looking spikes, the likeness, while recognizable, is eerily distorted.
Two sculptures show warrior figures made from mixed media of resin, metal, fabric and plastic. The riders’ outfits range from rags to expensive medals and currencies that seem to be dripping from the overburdened horses.Their large headdresses cut a striking figure, while unlike anything a real soldier would wear.
Locke was born in Scotland and moved with his family to Georgetown, Guyana in 1966. The country declared independence from Britain on May 26, 1966. When he returned to Britain in 1980, Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government was in power, no doubt influencing much of his work. He received a BA in fine arts from the Falmouth School of Art in 1988, and an MA in sculpture from the Royal College of Fine Arts, London, in 1994. He lives and works in London.
The museum is free and open to all. For more information, visit the website for The Yale Center for British Art.
Photos by Woman Around Town
