Tate Britain announces artist Hew Locke to undertake annual Commission

The Tate Britain has announced that Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke will be the next artist to undertake the annual Commission unveiled in March 2022.

Poetic and political, Hew Locke’s sculptures are assembled from materials and sources that reference global histories and the symbols of our age.

These include coats-of-arms, trophies and weapons to plastic toys, boats and flowers.

With an upbringing spanning the UK and Guyana, his work explores the languages of colonial and post-colonial power, questioning ideas of global cultural identities and how these representations are altered by the passage of time.

He said: “Taking on the Tate Britain Commission during lockdown presented great practical challenges.

“But it also fed into the ideas behind it, combining with themes I’ve worked with over the years, making this an incredibly intense experience for me.
“I hope the energy I’ve invested will transmit itself to visitors to Tate Britain when it opens next March.”

Director of Tate Britain Alex Farquharson said: “Hew Locke’s beautiful, thought-provoking and painstakingly-researched artworks grapple with many of the questions that continue to dominate our social, cultural and historical discourse.

“His works are theatrical and deeply layered and this new commission will offer a new perspective on our Duveen Galleries.

We are honoured that Locke will take on Tate Britain’s annual 2022 commission, further extending his extraordinary body of work.”