Ian Hughes
Ian Hughes’ paintings probe an artistic vein in which naturalistic forms shape-shift on top of a flat color-space. He explores the psychological and emotional link between the brain and the viscera, forming a kind of connective tissue with the viewer. Fluid, intertwining, and semi-transparent forms exude a bodily presence while suggesting a tangle of shifting associations. Hughes seduces with sensuous textures and a luscious palette of chromatic pinks, yellows and turquoise blues modulated by pearl whites and carbon blacks. For Hughes, the color field is a stage on which to choreograph a visual and psychological drama.
Hughes’ work has appeared in numerous group shows in New York City, including featured exhibitions at The Drawing Center (Selections 31) and a White Room exhibit at White Columns (1991) curated by Bill Arning. In 1998, Artists’ Space featured three large Hughes paintings in an exhibition celebrating its 25th Anniversary and curated by Irving Sandler, Founder, and Claudia Gould, Director. Hughes received his B.A. in 1981 from Yale College, where he also attended the Yale Summer School of Art at Norfolk, CT, and his MFA in 1984 from Columbia University School of Art. He was selected for a solo booth in the 2012 inaugural edition of UNTITLED: Miami, curated by Omar Lopez-Chahoud. Hughes lives and works in New York City.
Artist Statement:
"My artwork represents a longstanding belief in the possibility of translating human experience and feeling through the raw materials of painting. For quite some time I have been probing an artistic vein in which naturalistic forms shape-shift inside an abstract color space. The figuration is rooted in the human body, and more specifically, the links between brain and viscera. The physicality of working large allows the body to override the brain; only then does the door open to serendipity. When successful, the imagery and the materials combine to create a psychological and emotional charge with the viewer.
I don’t think of myself as a figurative painter, and yet figuration clearly looms large in these paintings. Indeed, this body of work belongs to an ongoing series titled “Twisted Figures”, a play on both the literal meaning of twisted (coiled, torqued, wrung) and the non-literal (warped, unstable, abnormal). I’m not interested in narratives, but I am interested in the potential for metaphor. I think of these paintings as of the body and embodiments of… They are very physical in their making, visceral in appearance, and suggest a figure under intense stress, embattled, and thus very much of our world."
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In Bloom
17 Jun - 1 Sep 2025532 Gallery Jaeckel presents In Bloom , a group exhibition featuring Ian Hughes, Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Yongjae Kim, Paco Marcial, Christine Nguyen, John Alexander Parks, Jean-Guerly Pétion, Lily Prince, Danielle...Read more -
Anarene
22 Jun - 22 Jul 2023Anarene June 23 - July 22, 2023 Opening Reception: Thursday, June 22, 6 - 8 PM. Chelsea, New York: 532 Gallery is pleased to announce Anarene , an exhibition of...Read more -
CONTEXT Art Miami
29 Nov - 4 Dec 2022532 Gallery is pleased to partake in CONTEXT Art Miami's 10th edition *BOOTH B14* Featuring works by: Diana Copperwhite, Danny Rolph, John Alexander Parks, Zayasikhan Sambuu, Sínead Ní Mhaonaigh, and...Read more -
First Annual Good on Paper Exhibit: Drawings and Paintings
18 Mar - 30 Apr 2022532 Gallery Good on Paper ExhibitionRead more -
Art New York 2018
3 - 6 May 2018 -
Art Wynwood 2018
15 - 19 Feb 2018 -
Ten Years After
11 Jan - 16 Feb 2018Gustavo Acosta Gustavo Acosta was born in in Havana, Cuba in 1958, and is currently based in Miami. His intensely hued portrayals of sites in Havana, Miami, New York, and...Read more -
Winter Salon 2017
4 Feb - 4 Mar 2017It’s that time of the year for the gallery’s annual Winter Salon. This show features new works by Gustavo Acosta, Bernard Ammerer, Bergman & White, Marcy Brafman, Kathy Bruce, Marie...Read more -
Twisted Figures
9 Oct - 8 Nov 2014Over the arc of his career, Ian Hughes has honed a distinctive visual language in which paint reveals its lushest and most viscous qualities while simultaneously giving shape to bio-reminiscent...Read more -
Ian Hughes- Solo Show
26 Apr - 26 May 2012Curtain (Pink)Read more
2012
Acrylic on Canvas
96 x 108 -
Inside out
10 May - 7 Jun 2010Hughes’ paintings (here represented by large, medium and small scale works) re-examine and renew the always delicate relationship between color and form. Hughes’ forms are strangely suggestive, but of what...Read more -
Paper in the Wind
23 Jun - 7 Jul 2009Rosa Almeida, Marcy Brafman, Zac Braun, Amy Chaiklin, Chrissy Conant, Veronica Cross, Alicia Gibson, James Gilroy, Ian Hughes, Liz Insogna, Yuliya Lanina, D. Dominick Lombardi, Sandra Mack-Valencia, Norma Markley, Jesse...Read more
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SPRING/BREAK Art Show New York 2023
6 - 11 Sep 2023!WILD CARD! Exhibition 625 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 First Look | Wednesday, Sept 6th, 11AM - 5PM Opening Night | Wednesday, Sept 6th,...Read more -
2022 CONTEXT Art Miami
29 Nov - 4 Dec 2022532 GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PARTAKE IN CONTEXT ART MIAMI'S 10TH EDITION *BOOTH B14* Featuring works by: Diana Copperwhite, Danny Rolph, John Alexander Parks, Zayasikhan...Read more -
Hamptons Fine Art Fair 2022
14 - 17 Jul 2022Featuring works by Diana Copperwhite, Susana Guerrero, Ian Hughes, Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh, John Alexander Parks, Danny Rolph, Elio Rodriguez, Alberto Alejandro Rodriguez, & Per Adolfsen....Read more -
2021 CONTEXT Art Miami
1 - 19 Dec 2021View Works on Artsy (link)Read more -
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary: Art Wynwood 2021
4 Feb - 14 Mar 2021Piers Secunda, Diana Copperwhite, Danny Rolph, Julie langsam, Ian Hughes, John Alexander Parks, Carlos Rodriguez Cardenas, Elio Roriguez, Gustavo Acosta, Jose Angel VincenchRead more -
2020 Pinta Miami LIVE
2 - 15 Dec 2020PINTA MIAMI – Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art Show, in its 14th edition continues to present projects with international curators showcasing Latin American art...Read more -
2020 CONTEXT Art Miami
1 - 20 Dec 2020Vew Works on Artsy (link) CONTEXT Art Miami fair is a proven destination and serious marketplace for top collectors to acquire important works from the...Read more -
Art Wynwood 2018
15 - 18 Feb 2018View Works on Artsy (link)Read more -
2017 CONTEXT Art Miami
5 - 10 Dec 2017Booth C117 Exhbiting Artists: Gustavo Acosta, Bernard Ammerer, Diana Copperwhite, Susana Guerrero, Ian Hughes, Nadja Verena Marcin, Julie Langsam, John Parks, Armando Marino, Elio Rodriguez,...Read more -
Art New York 2017
3 - 7 May 2017Piers Secunda, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Danny Rolph, Ian Hughes, Jose Angel Vincench, Bernard AmerrerRead more -
CONTEXT Art Miami 2016
29 Nov - 4 Dec 2016Diana Copperwhite, Julie Langsam, Armando Marino, Rachel Valdes, susana Guerrero, Jose angel vincench, Tanja Selzer, John A Parks, Elio Rodriguez, Ian HughesRead more -
CONTEXT Art Miami 2015
1 - 5 Dec 2015Piers Secunda, Danny Rolph, Diana Copperwhite, Julie Langsam, Ian Hughes, Elio Rodriguez, Jose Angel VincenchRead more