Hugo McCloud

Hugo McCloud, an American visual artist, challenges the boundaries of traditional artistry by transforming industrial and discarded materials into striking works of art. Inspired by urban landscapes, McCloud's pieces resonate with themes of economy, geopolitics, and environmentalism.

Biography of Hugo McCloud

Hugo McCloud was born in 1980 in Palo Alto, California. In 2002, he graduated from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama.

McCloud relocated to New York in 2009 and later expanded his residence to include Mexico, splitting his time between Mexico and the United States. 

In 2016, he was an Artist in Residence at Bellas Artes Projects in Manila, Philippines.

His recent solo exhibitions include "tiempo" at Vielmetter Los Angeles in Los Angeles (2022), "Art in Focus: Hugo McCloud" at Rockefeller Center in New York (2022), "from where i stand" at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield (2021), "Hugo McCloud: Burdened" at Sean Kelly in New York (2021), and many more.

Hugo McCloud has participated in numerous group exhibitions held at various venues worldwide. Among them are The Drawing Center in New York, Vielmetter Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Studio Museum in Harlem, David Klein Gallery in Detroit, and Luce Gallery in Turin. 

Hugo McCloud's Art Style

Utilizing black tar, oxidized steel plates, aluminum sheeting, and plastic bags, Hugo McCloud merges these industrial elements with conventional pigment and woodblock printing techniques. McCloud draws inspiration from photographs of individuals in developing nations. Utilizing these images, his artwork delves into themes such as the economy of labor, geopolitics, and environmental concerns. Through his works, he visualizes potential solutions for mitigating the adverse effects of society's carbon footprint.

In his earlier pieces, McCloud employed unconventional materials such as roofing metal as a canvas, drawing inspiration from images discovered on Instagram. Even in his more abstract works utilizing these materials, McCloud's art continues to engage in dialogues surrounding social class and cultural reflections stemming from his personal experiences. His recent creations, influenced by his relocation to Mexico, feature scenes of workers and the homeless depicted using single-use plastic bags.