Book Description
When symbols of power are dismantled, embellished, and reconstructed, do they still retain their authority? Guyanese-British contemporary artist Hew Locke has long explored the intertwined histories of empire, colonialism, monarchy, maritime trade, migration, and globalization through sculpture, painting, photography, collage, and found objects. *Hew Locke: Stranger in Paradise* offers an insightful introduction to his artistic practice, combining richly illustrated artworks with critical essays to reveal how Locke employs an opulent, intricate, and deeply ironic visual language to expose the contradictions, violence, and legacies hidden beneath historical systems of power.
Locke's works often captivate viewers with their dazzling surfaces before revealing a profound sense of unease. Plastic flowers, toys, beads, metal chains, inexpensive ornaments, and countless everyday materials are layered onto royal portraits, medals, ships, monuments, and architectural symbols, transforming familiar emblems of authority into extravagant yet unsettling constructions. Beneath their decorative brilliance lie complex reflections on colonial history, the circulation of wealth, warfare, the transatlantic slave trade, and cultural identity. Ornament, in Locke's hands, becomes far more than an aesthetic strategy—it is a critical language through which power structures are questioned and exposed.
*Stranger in Paradise* brings together many of Locke's most significant works, from monumental architectural sculptures to vividly coloured royal portraits and mixed-media assemblages. The publication demonstrates his remarkable ability to move effortlessly between beauty and discomfort, history and imagination, grandeur and absurdity. Beyond presenting the artworks themselves, the book explores how Locke's Caribbean heritage, Britain's colonial past, and a global perspective inform his ongoing investigation into identity, migration, and cultural hybridity. For Locke, history is never a closed chapter—it remains a persistent visual presence that continues to shape contemporary political, social, and cultural realities.
An essential publication for readers interested in contemporary art, postcolonial studies, sculpture, mixed media, visual culture, and the politics of art, *Stranger in Paradise* illustrates why Hew Locke has become one of the most distinctive artists working today. His ability to transform difficult historical narratives into visually compelling experiences allows viewers to confront the absurdities of imperial power beneath layers of dazzling ornamentation while recognizing the shifting nature of migration, memory, and identity embedded within fragmented materials. More than an artist's monograph, this book offers a compelling exploration of how contemporary art can challenge historical narratives, interrogate systems of power, and redefine our understanding of cultural belonging.
Details
Authors: Jens Hoffmann, Kobena Mercer
Publisher: Black Dog Press
Publication Year: 2011
Dimensions: 26 × 21 cm
Binding: Hardcover
