Through a multidisciplinary approach about painting, photography, sculpture and installation, British artist Hew Locke Obe Ra interrogates “the languages of colonial and post -colonial power, and the symbols through which different cultures adopt and claim identity,” says P · P · O · Wwho will present a series of boots sculptures by the artist Artificial basel This month.
Locke has long been interested in the ancient traditions and the spectrum of histories associated with water scooters. For those in danger at sea (2011), for example, he recorded 70 model boats that, when they hang on the ceiling, seemed to float in a colorful, eclectic fleet. The artist combined adapted models together with ships that have been made all over, representing different styles that are used all over the world. “No crew is visible – the boats themselves are a symbol of the crew and passengers,” says a statement.
Eight new ships in Locke’s Odyssey Series sail through p · p · o · w’s stand on the doctor opening on 19 June. Represents a series of styles, from wooden weapon ships and dreadnoughts to fishing boats and yachts, Locke adds colorful details such as flags, painted patterns, patchwork sails and on board equipment.
He invites us to consider the countless associations with boats as fishing vessels, commuters, military fleets, leisure scruises and symbols of power, exploration, colonization, worldwide conflict and migration. While people continue to struggle over open seas in search of a better life, the displacement of ships and starting dangerous, or even deadly, journeys, maritime history convergates with contemporary events and global socio-political realities.
“The merging of historical source material with a sharp interest in current affairs, often through the combination or adaptation of existing artifacts, Locke focuses on the VK, the Monarchy and his youth center, Guyana,” P · P · O · W says.
Sailors have also been historically famous superstitiousBased on the inherent risks of their profession, and they have set a lot of stock in omen. In “Odyssey 30”, for example, Locke illustrates the sails of the ship with images of men being chased by skeletons, a copy of Memento Mori That steeps the piece with a feeling of feeling.
Art Basel runs from 19 to 22 June in Basel, Switzerland. From September 2025, an installation entitled Loads In King Edward Memorial Park, London, will be inspired by the history of the trade and dock communities of the site. And the greatest solo research of the artist’s work so far, Hew Locke: Passages, continues at the Yale Center for British Art up to and including January 11, 2026. See more about the artist website And Instagram.
