Our Programme Officer Munny Purba reflects on Locke’s personal and emotive exploration of the museum’s collection, which considers contemporary debates around cultural heritage.
I recently visited the Hew Locke exhibition, ‘what have we here?’, and it left me with a deep sense of reflection.
It wasn’t just an exploration of history, but a confrontation with the sheer scale and devastation of empire. The exhibition resisted the neat, linear narratives we are often told. There was no clear chronology or clean geographic progression. Instead, Locke presented the story of empire in fragments, making it feel overwhelming and endless, like a force that spread and wreaked havoc across time and place; the lack of clear sequence mirroring the disorder of the empire itself.
There were key pieces in the exhibition that made an impact. One of the most striking was Charles II’s decree, which cemented British involvement in the slave trade. Seeing his signature was, in itself, a surprise. It forced me to confront how deliberate and institutionalised this violence was. Charles II’s role is rarely part of mainstream historical narratives, and yet here it was. Undeniable. It disrupted the familiar framing of the monarchy and laid bare its complicity in the brutal systems of empire. Other pieces included ledgers documenting compensation paid to former enslavers for releasing their ‘property’, beads used in trade for palm oil, gold, and, most devastatingly, people, and allegorical art that presented the British as noble rulers of India. These works, steeped in propaganda, revealed how empire justified itself and its actions. Locke’s curation of these pieces was meticulous, drawing out the layers of complicity and complicating the narratives we have been taught.
The Benin bronzes were another powerful moment in the exhibition. Locke’s careful attention to their state, broken and charred at the edges, pointed directly to the violence of their removal. These artifacts were not simply looted; they were ripped from walls, leaving destruction in their wake. It was in these details, in the quiet remnants of brutality, that the exhibition offered an alternative lens. Rather than relying on overt depictions of violence, Locke presented the subtle and often overlooked signs of empire’s destruction. These nuances gave the works a power that lingers long after you leave the room.
Beyond the pieces themselves, Locke’s voice permeated the exhibition, challenging visitors to question what they have been told about history and whose stories they believe. The exhibition opened with a video of Hew Locke speaking directly to us, asking us to see this space as an invitation to reflect, to sit with difficult histories, and to open ourselves to dialogue. In many ways, it echoed the work we do at Cumberland Lodge, creating moments for critical reflection and honest conversations about the histories and structures that shape our present.
This exhibition does not shy away from the truth, nor does it present a single, fixed version of history. Instead, Locke offers a provocation, and a reminder that history is not static. It is something we must continuously question, understand, and unlearn. It was overwhelming, but necessary. As Locke reminds us, this is only the beginning of the conversation.
‘what have we here’ is on display at the British Museum in London until 9 February 2025.
Photo of Hew Locke and The Watchers © Richard Cannon