Hugo McCloud
June to August 2016

New York artist Hugo McCloud, known to create artworks that challenged the conventional function of industrial materials, took interest with the adaptive tradition of production the Las Casas Workshops. In preparation for his first solo show at the Sean Kelly gallery, Hugo worked along side the craftsmen of Las Casas as he learned the vernacular practices of local woodcarving and resin fabrication. Amidst the months of production, the artist developed a technique with woven plastic sacks. Hugo then scoured the back alley sack dealers of Binondo, Manila to the roadside junkshops of Lubao, Pampanga and Bagac, Bataan to gather sacks in all colors and condition. The sacks were rendered to form a series of rugged murals, a stark contrast to the pristine white walls of the Sean Kelly gallery.