Artworks by leading contemporary British artists of the African, Caribbean and South Asian diasporas, including Sonia Boyce, Frank Bowling and Mohini Chandra will be on display alongside works by artists from the past 250 years including Joshua Reynolds, J.M.W.Turner and John Singleton Copley – creating connections across time which explore questions of power, representation and history.

Experience a powerful exploration of art from 1768 to now. Featuring a room of life-sized cut-out painted figures by Lubaina Himid, an immersive video installation by Isaac Julien, a giant flotilla of model boats by Hew Locke, and a major new sculpture in the Courtyard by Tavares Strachan. Plus, powerful paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings and prints by El Anatsui, Barbara Walker, Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, Shahzia Sikander, John Akomfrah and Betye Saar.

Born in Edinburgh in 1959, Hew Locke spent his formative years in Guyana, South America, before returning to the UK to study Fine Art at Falmouth (1988), and MA Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London (1994).

Developing a practice that explores the visual codes of power and cultural diversity, Locke draws attention to a range of subject matter; including royal portraiture, maritime and military history, public statuary, trophies and financial documents. His ability to fuse influences from both his Caribbean and British backgrounds, together with his own political and cultural concerns, makes for witty, multi-layered works which amalgamate modern materials with historical subject matter. Applying a critical sensitivity to his creative practice, Locke’s work stands at a crossroads between cultural associations and historic references that interrogates the symbols of our time.

Hew Locke's work is included in numerous collections among which Tate; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and The British Museum, London.