Hugo McCloud
Cycla, 2020
A lot of it is influenced by images that I see from Instagram. I’ll pull images that I’m drawn to either because of the composition or colors or subject matter. And then I’ll distort that original image; that’s the initial process. One of these is actually a Rick Ross album cover. Another is a picture I took of an old Indian ornate design. Another is from Givenchy’s Instagram. That’s how I start.
Push Pull, 2019.
Photo: CaseyKelbaugh
Born in Palo Alto, California in 1980, Hugo McCloud is one of the most prolific young artists working today. Self-taught with a background in industrial design, McCloud’s practice is unrestricted by classical, academic tenets. Drawing inspiration from the rawness and decay of the urban landscape, McCloud creates rich, large-scale abstract paintings and sculptural objects by fusing unconventional industrial materials—tar, bitumen, aluminum sheeting and oxidized steel plates —with traditional pigment and woodblock printing techniques. His approach is instinctive and physical, often working on the floor, sanding, hammering and torching his materials until a total metamorphosis takes place. Driven by an enduring desire to uncover beauty in the overlooked and abandoned, McCloud’s work pushes the boundaries of utilitarian materials and confronts aesthetic perceptions.
9 to 5, 2019/5 0n # 7, 2019
In 2015, McCloud was the subject of solo exhibitions at The Arts Club, London and at Fondazione 107, in Turin, Italy. McCloud was most recently featured in the group exhibition, A Constellation at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.
Hugo McCloud lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.