#InDetail with Hugo McCloud’s pushing through, 2020. For Earth Day, we highlight the most recent work in his plastic bag series.
Hugo McCloud’s newest body of work touches on notions of class particularly through his use of plastic bags. His investigation into plastic began approximately five years ago after traveling to India and seeing multi-color polypropylene plastic sacks everywhere. Observing the downcycle of these bags from their creation, to the companies that purchased them for the distribution of products, to the trash pickers in Dharavi slums, McCloud saw how this ubiquitous material passed through the hands of individuals at every level of society.
Sourcing his imagery from photographs of individuals working in developing countries these representational works address issues concerning the economics of labor, geopolitics and the environmental impact of plastic. McCloud continues his practice of incorporating industrial materials using plastic as a tool to unite people and better understand our similarities and differences as a human race; to connect our environment; and to contribute to reversing the negative impact of our carbon footprint.
“We live in a forever changing, evolving world, a world that is survival of the fittest, with rules that bend and flex in favor of those in power. As an artist I try to continue to find beauty—yes, beauty—in all that is going on in the world: the crazy gap between the haves and have-nots, social values, politics, race, and the environment” - #HugoMcCloud
Hugo McCloud, pushing through, 2020, 76 x 66 inches #EarthDay #ArtKeepsGoing #NYCGalleriesLive @hugomccloudstudio