Artists in Conversation: Hew Locke at Yale Center for British Art

The Yale Center for British Art presents Artists in Conversation: Hew Locke in celebration of the opening of Hew Locke: Passages. This exhibition spans the artist’s career from the late 1990s to today, showcasing the breadth of his practice. Locke will be in conversation with Martina Droth, Paul Mellon Director of YCBA and curator of the exhibition, offering insights into his creative process and themes.

For more than thirty years, Hew Locke has explored the visual codes of imperialism through strategies of appropriation and reinterpretation. His work blends media such as drawing, photography, sculpture, and found objects, often described as a “postcolonial baroque.” Deeply influenced by both his British and Guyanese heritage, Locke’s art engages with topics such as colonialism, migration, global capitalism, and diaspora. His recurring motifs include boats, architecture, portraiture, and public statuary, expressed through richly layered and textured materials.

Born in Edinburgh in 1959, Locke moved to Guyana during the country’s independence movement and later returned to the UK in 1980. He has since become a major figure in contemporary art, creating works that challenge and reimagine entrenched symbols of power and sovereignty.

The event takes place on Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06510.