Smile, detail, 228 x 205cm

"The main difficulty in Locke's work is tightly strapped to it's unflagging ambiguity...Where are his explicit politics?  Where are his rage and loathing?  Or conversely, where are his cool-headed anthropology or sociology? ... If Locke's constant turning towards the Royals is only an effort to denounce imperialism, then the Royals are simply stand-ins - cardboard cut-outs indeed.   What of his avowed fascination with them?  Why does a sense of earnestness, a desire to depict without contempt or critique or mockery as the guiding force, begin to settle over the work?  ...  Possibilities, when considering how to read Locke's work, pile up like dollar store junk.  And yet, following any one in particular leads to a dead end of sorts, to incompleteness.  But incompleteness always conveys something...The work challenges those blind to the need for multiple perspectives..."   -   Gean Moreno, 2004, extract from essay accompanying the exhibition House of Cards, Luckman Gallery, USA

Click here to view essay on House of Cards at The Luckman Gallery, Cal State L.A. by Gean Moreno, with introduction by Helena Reckitt & Julie Joyce

Top left - Happy Queen, 184 x 225cm,  top right - Smile, 228 x 205cm, bottom - Installation, photo by Josh White and courtesy Luckman Gallery, Los Angeles 2004