The first major survey of Guyanese artist Donald Locke (1930-2010). Born and raised in Guyana, Locke moved to the UK in 1954 as part of the Windrush Generation. The exhibition includes early ceramics inspired by natural forms and the human body, and larger scale paintings and sculptures exploring issues around history and identity.  

Donald Locke

Donald Locke (1930-2010) was a Guyanese artist who lived and worked in Guyana, the UK and the United States. Locke grew up in Guyana and attended the Working People’s Art Class (WPAC) taught in Georgetown by Guyanese artist Edward Rupert Burrowes in 1947. He was awarded scholarships to study at Bath School of Art and Design at Corsham from 1954-57 and Edinburgh University from 1959-64. 

Locke returned to Guyana in 1964 to become Art Master at Queen’s College in Georgetown, where he taught until 1969. He then received a bursary to return to Edinburgh College of Art to study ceramics, after which he moved to London, where he lived from 1970-78. In 1979, Locke was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Sculpture at Arizona State University. He lived in Phoenix, Arizona until 1990 and then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived until his passing in 2010.   

Solo exhibitions include: New Art Exchange, Nottingham (2009); Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, Newark (2004); City Hall Gallery East, Atlanta (2003) and the Commonwealth Institute, London (1975). Group exhibitions include: The Other Story, Hayward Gallery, London (1989); FESTAC, Lagos (1977); and the 12th São Paulo Biennial (1971). 

Partners and Supporters

Supported by the Ampersand Foundation and presented in partnership with Camden Arts Centre, London and Ikon, Birmingham, where it will tour during 2025-26.