A highly anticipated exhibition which was delayed by four years will open at The Lowry this April.
The Ambassadors by Hew Locke, was originally commissioned by the gallery in 2019, but was delayed due to the pandemic.
It consists of four black horsemen, bringing messages from the past to the future. Their animals are weighed down by baggage and symbols that reflect the past and cultures.
The sculptures have since gone on tour as part of the Black Fantastic exhibition in London last year and is currently on display in Rotterdam.
The Lowry’s director of visual art, Michael Simpson, said: “The Ambassadors is by far The Lowry’s most important commission to date, given Hew Locke’s international reputation.
“The quality of the work and the wider political and social debates that surround public statuary.”
“The Lowry was proud to commission The Ambassadors in 2019, and it was hugely disappointing that the Pandemic prevented us from showing them sooner.”
“We are now thrilled be able present them as originally planned in Salford and for our audiences to enjoy.”
Zoe Watson, Contemporary Curator at The Lowry, added: “Hew Locke’s intricately layered and visually powerful work allows us to re-examine and contemplate questions such as who should be immortalised in our society, and why?
“We invite our own audiences to ask those questions for themselves, inspired by Locke’s fantastical visions, which open a gateway to a vast multitude of possibilities.”
They are being displayed alongside Locke’s new work in his Share series, featuring images on wallpapers.
It also holds a connection to the North-West, with images featuring the Manchester Ship Canal and the Middleton Cotton Mill, with another image of Mahatma Gandhi visiting the mill in 1932.
The exhibition is accompanied with a workshop where visitors can create their own designs and mini monuments inspired by the sculptures.
The Ambassadors is at the Lowry between the 29th of April and the 25th of June 2023.
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