Donald Locke Retrospective and Anderson Borba Exhibition Explore Blackness Through Bodily Forms

At Spike Island in Bristol, Donald Locke's exhibition 'Resistant Forms' presents a comprehensive overview of his artistic journey spanning five decades, focusing on themes of blackness, the body, and colonial trauma through his paintings and sculptures. Highlights include early works such as 'Barracoon I' (1978) and '63 Black Squares' (1978–79), alongside biomorphic ceramic pieces from the 1960s to the 1980s, as well as 'Trophies of Empire' (1972–74), which was first displayed in Rasheed Araeen's 1989 show at London's Hayward Gallery. His later pieces feature colonial imagery and portraits layered with black impasto, like 'Plain Tales of Raj #2' (1990). Meanwhile, Anderson Borba's 'Secret Ceremony' at The Approach, London, showcases ten charred wooden totems and wall tablets. Locke's exhibition is open from 31 May to 7 September 2025, while Borba's runs from 5 June to 26 July 2025.