This episode of 'A brush with...' features artist Hew Locke, who discusses his career and artistic practice. Born in Edinburgh in 1959 to artists Donald and Leila Locke, he moved to Guyana as a child and returned to the UK to study art in 1980. Over three decades, Locke has created sculptures, installations, photographs, drawings, and textiles exploring nationhood, culture, and power, often using found objects and cardboard. He reflects on influences including his parents, a tutorial with Paula Rego, and Hans Haacke's 1993 Venice Biennale pavilion, and discusses his upcoming exhibitions: 'Gilt' at Compton Verney (2025-2027), 'Passages' at the Yale Center for British Art (2025-2026), 'Armada' at Newlyn Art Gallery, and 'Cargoes' at King Edward Memorial Park.
This matters because Hew Locke is a significant contemporary artist whose work critically examines how nations construct identity through symbols and institutions. The podcast offers rare insight into his creative process and the conceptual depth behind his visually rich works. His upcoming exhibitions at major institutions like Compton Verney and the Yale Center for British Art signal his growing prominence, and the sponsorship by Bloomberg Connects highlights the increasing role of digital platforms in expanding access to art and cultural content.