Bio
Born in Dublin, Pablo Hughes is an art installer and multidisciplinary photographer based in Perth. While the themes of his work are universal and socially engaged, his subject matter is generally drawn from the country of his origin, Spain. Hughes’s practice is not exclusively photographic and includes installation, found objects and collage. After completing a B.A in Media Studies and Photo media at ECU, Hughes’s work has received a number of photographic awards. His practice focuses on decay, the simplicity of the common place, religious iconography and the installation process. Solo exhibitions include Escape Artist, April 2015 at Heathcote Museum and Justaposition, March 2015 at Spectrum and Displaced at The Lobby, November 2018. Recent group shows include Psychogeography, Bunbury Biennale and Stations of the Cross. A finalist in Joondalup’s Invitation Art Award, the Mandorla Art Award and the CLIP award at PCP.
Artist Statement
As a multidisciplinary artist, his practice is not exclusively photographic. While photography is always the central linchpin, it sits within an installation framework, which has composed obscured glass, found objects, paint and collage. Straying from a traditional two-dimensional photographic approach and interweaving parallel narratives through other mediums Hughes constructs critical dialogues that explore the notion of displacement, both physical and conceptual, which underpins his multifacetated enquiry.
Hughes draws inspiration from contemporary issues locally and globally, such as escape, change and transformation, all the while questioning socio-political systems and evolving realities. His subject matter represents that which is shunned, side stepped, discarded. The juxtapositions highlight the forgotten and frayed edges of the action, creating a complex narrative from the apparent simplicity of the commonplace. His combination of mediums, image associations and image constructions add a layer of ambiguity and improbability