Sikandar by Hew Locke

Sikandar replicates the statue of Field Marshal, Sir George White (1835 – 1912) that stands in Portland Place and transforms it into a fetish object. The sculpture will be embellished with horse-brasses, charms, medals, sabres, ex-votos, jewels, Bactrian treasure and Hellenistic masks, creating layers of material and meaning with multiple possible readings.

Sikandar, translates as Alexander in Urdu; Khandahar being one of the cities Alexander the Great named after himself. Commanders to this day measure themselves against him, and at this moment somewhere in Afghanistan, a member of our troops will be reading his histories. Alexander's military empire was short-lived, but his Hellenic cultural influence lasted centuries.

The work will bring a social and historic focus to the square, contributing to its role as a place of dissent and celebration. The proposal is not an anti-military critique. It is an investigation into the idea of the hero and the problematic and changing nature of heroism.

Listen to Hew Locke talking about the work

Artist biography

Hew Locke was born Edinburgh in 1959 but lived in Guyana from 1966 to 1980. He returned to the UK to study BA Fine Art at Falmouth and MA Sculpture at the Royal College of Art. He lives and works in London, exhibiting extensively in the UK and abroad.  British group and solo shows include at Hales Gallery, Tate Britain as part of British Art Week, The Baltic as part of BAS6, The V&A, The ICA, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Chisenhale Gallery, The Bluecoat Gallery and Rivington Place.

Internationally Locke’s work has been exhibited at The Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, The San Juan Triennal, The Guangzhou Triennial, The Brooklyn Museum, The Luckman Gallery LA, Atlanta Contemporary Arts, The Museum of Art and Design, New York, The Power Plant, Toronto, and the Palacio de Abrantes, Spain.

Locke’s work is included in the collections of The Tate Gallery, The Arts Council, The Brooklyn Museum, The Kemper Museum Kansas City, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The V&A, The British Museum, The Henry Moore Institute and The Government Art Collection, amongst others.