PABLO HUGHES

As a multidisciplinary artist, Hughes’ practice is not exclusively photographic. While photography is always the central linchpin, it sits within an installation framework, which encompasses obscured glass, mirrors, 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 – that underpin his multifaceted enquiry. Environmental change, sustainability and recycling are other subjects Hughes is passionate about.

Hughes draws inspiration from contemporary issues both locally and globally, such as escape, change and transformation, all the while questioning socio-political systems and evolving collective realities. His subject matter represents that which is shunned, obscured, overlooked, side stepped or 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 that informs a psychogeography as he records the changing environment we inhabit.

Born in Dublin and based in Perth, Pablo Hughes is a multidisciplinary photographer and professional art installer. After completing a BA in Media Studies and Photo media at ECU, Hughes’s work has received a number of photographic awards. Solo exhibitions include Displaced November 2018 at The Lobby, Escape Artist April 2015 at Heathcote Museum and Justaposition, March 2015 at Spectrum. Group shows include the Bunbury Biennale and Psychogeography Hughes has been a finalist in the CLIP Award at the Perth Centre for Photography and the Mandorla Art Award. Hughes’ work is represented in public and private art collections nationally and internationally. Interested in exploring new forms of display that involve printing on unusual surfaces that are outside the box, often site specific in nature. Contemporary and environmental art are his main areas of interest. His images are abstract, textural, painterly and of unusual reflections of displaced subject matter and juxtapositions. Contemplative with hidden messages.

Sky Walker 2023

Installation, Sculpture, Found Object; Materials: Solar Panels, Mirrors, Glass, Silicon, Aluminium