Hew Locke
(b. 1959, Edinbugh, United Kingdom)
Hinterland
Date2013
MediumAcrylic on chromogenic print
DimensionsUnframed: 104 3/8 x 59 5/8 in. (265.1 x 151.4 cm)
Framed: 107 1/2 x 63 x 2 1/2 in. (273.1 x 160 x 6.4 cm)
Credit LineMarieluise Hessel Collection, Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Object numberR2023.32
ClassificationsPainting
Not on view
DescriptionIn Hinterland (2013) Locke recontextualizes a statue of Queen Victoria — he layers new narratives in reaction to the purity of the photographic image. This particular statue stood for years outside the Law Courts in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. During the 1970s she was unceremoniously dumped on her side, at the back of the Botanical Gardens, where she suffered the damage still visible. The statue was reinstated in the 1990s, following the death of the former President for Life. Her dethroning was asymbolic act following Guyana becoming a socialist republic — but more than this, it was a statement of personal power by the President. It was a shock to Locke when he saw her returned to her original position — following the easing of relations with Britain. A gesture of good will, possibly or cynically, in return for aid. (Hales Gallery, 2023)
