On my winter holiday in London, I have organised to see some museums once again, as I can never get enough of exploring the worlds of different artists and different worlds.
Ergo, totally unplanned, I went to Tate Britain where I’ve discovered an amazing exhibition called “The Procession” that linked perfectly with my surreal practice - 100 life size figures created by Hew Locke. The whole hall of the museum was coming out alive, presenting a parade, a carnival of mannequins that were marching towards the entrance-exit, as of looking for liberation. The hall of the Museum, which is very spacious, with a high ceiling, big columns and roof windows, gave me the possibility to walk around the characters and analyse them from different perspectives, without feeling restricted of the space. I didn't hesitate to take lots of photos as a memory of such a beautiful experience and as a source of inspiration, as well.
“They come surging towards you, wave upon wave, banners flying, drums rolling, a teeming pageant of men, women and children crowding through the grand marble canyons at the heart of Tate Britain. Soldiers, refugees and fishers, mechanics in overalls and dandies in dinner jackets, a green man crowned with chilli peppers, another dressed as a skeleton in a cardinal’s mitre. Pregnant girls, stooped sages, carnival queens in outsize dresses: none alike, and yet all alike, in this endless tide of humanity.”
The artist' bio on Tate’s wall stated that: “The figures travel through space but also through time. They carry historical and cultural baggage: the evidence of global financial and violent colonial control embellishes their clothes and banners”.
The figures were created from different materials(cardboard, fabrics, beads, paints, clay) a real collage-artist's dream! Although, there weren’t any other artists mentioned, I found it impossible to create so many life-sizes characters on your own! The clothes and the masks had such an intricate work that I was just amazed of both the message and the visual effect. I could see political elements from Haitian Revolution, the abolition of slavery, the colonisation of Americas, but also geographic points like Guyana (where the artist lived a big period of time), Nigeria, China, Europe and Russia.
'I have an obsession for details,' the artist confessed, in an interview 'so I needed to mitigate this with the urge to work fast, almost like a factory, in order to make such a production possible. I started with the big colourful flags, to raise the eyes of the public, the banners, like in any real parade. My point is that I cannot live in misery, so, even if I do want to deal with difficult, political issues, I need to make them liveable. I focus on up-lifting. I also wanted to include the participants, not to dictate how they should react or read the installation.'
This exhibition uplifted my spirit and encouraged my practice. Sometimes, people tell me that my artwork is dark and scary, but I do think that as an artist we need to mend the ugly and the beautiful together, to bring joy into the dark times, to transform the pain into something uplifting, into art. Hew Locke played perfectly with the collective memories of the people, their fears and desires.
He nurtured the inner child of every one of us, by presenting his characters very colourful, but the same time, sending a powerful message.
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Born in Edinburgh in 1959, Hew Locke grew up in Guyana (formerly British Guiana) from 1966 to 1980, before moving to England as a student. He received a BA in Fine Art in 1988 from Falmouth University, and an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art in 1994. His links to the Caribbean, as well as South American and British culture, inform his art deeply.
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