The construction of a new work by Hew Locke in Ostend, Belgium, has been halted. The work was commissioned by the city of Ostend in 2023 to recontextualise an equestrian statue of former Belgian king Leopold II.
A socialist member of the city council, claimed that the project had gone too far with too little consultation with the residents.
Between 1885 and 1908, Leopold II established the ‘Congo Free State’ (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) as his private possession. His reign is known for its particular brutality, including forced labour, torture, amputations and death from malnutrition.
In 2023 the city of Ostend decided to keep their public monument of Leopold II but commission a new sculpture to give it context. Hew Locke’s proposal was selected from a shortlist of eleven works, all of which were exhibited in the Royal Galleries in Ostend. Locke’s project was composed of five pillars topped by gold sculptures referring to colonial history. The final sculptures were to be decided in consultation with local residents.
Earlier this week the new city council, elected in 2024, halted the installation of the work, which was set to be unveiled later this year. They announced that there hadn’t been enough public support for the sculpture and stated that alternative proposals were still being explored.
In a reaction on Instagram Hew Locke says: "Really disappointed that the newly elected council of Ostend have cancelled the project to re-contextualise their statue of King Leopold II. The commission had been selected and offered to me by Ostend City Council in an email in November 2024. They announced my project on their own website, and to the press. The Council gave the main reason as that not enough public consultation took place before my proposal was accepted. I suggested that, in that case, we undertook more consultation with the people of Ostend about my proposal. Although my project was for a temporary piece only, I also offered to reduce the time of installation form 10 to 5 years. I had no response to either of my suggestions. Their suggestion of moving this site-specific piece would have destroyed the meaning and value of it."
Main Image: Courtesy Hew Locke, Instagram
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.
ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.
The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.
If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.
