In The Wine Dark Sea, 2016, sculptures of various boats and ships are suspended to create an eye-level flotilla. Taking its title from Homer’s The Odyssey, Locke’s work invokes historical and contemporary vessels as symbols for hope and prosperity, as well as anguish and suffering. Recalling refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea to escape war, oppression, and poverty, this installation also resonates with viewers for whom migration and displacement are deeper-rooted in their family history. For Those in Peril on the Sea, 2011, an installation customized to the South Florida community, is in the permanent collection of the Pérez Art Museum Miami and will be on view through August 2018. On the Tethys Sea, 2017, a third installation of suspended sculptures, was installed on the ground floor of Palazzo Pisani S. Marina in the inaugural Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale.
