For thirty years, the Guyanese British artist Hew Locke (b. 1959) has upended the visual codes of imperialism and scrutinized the British Empire’s present-day legacies of colonialism and global capitalism. His dynamic aesthetic encompasses sculpture, photography, drawing, and intricate assemblages that combine nontraditional materials such as cardboard, fabric, beads, sequins, and ready-made toys. Edited by Paul Mellon Director of the Yale Center for British Art Martina Droth and the independent curator and writer Allie Biswas, Hew Locke: Passages showcases the remarkable breadth of Locke’s distinctive practice. Thematic essays from leading curators, critics, and scholars of contemporary art provide the most comprehensive presentation to date of the work of this visionary artist renowned for his incisive interrogations of colonial and postcolonial power.

The exhibition Hew Locke: Passages is on view at the Yale Center for British Art from October 2, 2025, through January 11, 2026.  

Yale Center
September 2025
Hardcover, 304 pages