Earlier this summer, CDH hosted British Museum curators Isabel Seligman and Billie Duch Giménez from the museum’s Prints and Drawings Department, who shared insights into the process of co-curating the recent exhibition Hew Locke: What Have We Here? with renowned Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke. Anne Nielsen, PhD researcher and co-lead of CDH research strand ‘Museums, Archives & Exhibitions’, reflects on their presentation: Co-Curating the British Museum exhibition ‘Hew Locke: What Have We Here?’  

Hew Locke: What Have We Here? (which ran from October 2024 to February 2025) explored histories and legacies of British imperialism through objects from the British Museum’s collection and other museum collections. The objects were handpicked by Hew Locke and assistant curator Indra Khanna in collaboration with curators from several of the British Museum’s curatorial departments. Objects chosen for the exhibition interrogated and reframed Britain’s historical interactions with Africa, India and the Caribbean alongside a selection of Locke’s own work. The Watchers (2024), newly commissioned sculptural works by Locke, were featured prominently in the exhibition and in a special display in the Museum’s Enlightenment Gallery. In the exhibition, Locke describes The Watchers as figures ‘from my own imagination’ who are ‘observing you, observing the exhibition. They’re the Greek chorus commenting from the sidelines. They’re a mirror to the viewer.’ 

Part of The Watchers by Hew Locke on display in the exhibition. Photograph by Andrea Potts.

At CDH, Isabel and Billie introduced the key exhibition themes, highlighted some of the key objects selected for display, contextualised Locke’s work in relation to the British Museum, and revealed the curatorial and artistic approach applied to the interpretation and design of the exhibition. Isabel and Billie also reflected on the process of collaborating with Locke and Khanna over a two-year period and the institutional and personal learnings gained from co-curation. The last time the British Museum collaborated with an artist on a major exhibition was Grayson Perry’s ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman’ (2011). 

Over fifteen hours of recorded conversation between Locke, Khanna and British Museum curators provided the draft for the object labels in the exhibition. As Isabel and Billie explained, it was important to present Locke’s insightful perspectives on this history and the objects on display in his own voice. This was achieved through a dual, non-hierarchical approach to the interpretation. Locke’s conversational voice (taken from the recordings) was highlighted in yellow, while the museum’s “voice” was presented in standard black text and provided additional information about objects and their historical context.  

Isabel and Billie discussing how they planned the themes and layout of exhibition displays.

There was no prescribed way of navigating the exhibition, instead the open plan structure echoed the manner in which Locke and Khanna would visit exhibitions. Objects were presented in wooden box frames and on grids, reminiscent of exhibition travel crates and museum stores. According to Isabel and Billie, this design choice pointed to the journeys the objects had made and Locke’s exploration in the museum stores. It also provided an efficient and pragmatic solution for the high number of objects that needed to be mounted for the exhibition (over 250 objects). 

After the talk, informal conversation with Isabel and Billie continued in the corridors of Mithras House. It gave attendees the chance to pose follow up questions and gain additional insight into curatorial practices. 

For further information about the exhibition see: 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/hew-locke-what-have-we-here 

Locke, H., Seligman I. and Khanna, I. (2024) Hew Locke – What Have We Here? London: British Museum Press.