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BIO
Nicolas William Hughes (b.1984) Is a conceptual artist from South Wales. Hughes, has lived and worked in Norway for 5 years. His works aim to pose questions surrounding specific aspects found within humanity's relationship with non-human nature and what that potential relationship could be in the future. Hughes also has a ongoing focus on landscape, creating works which discuss landscape in a contemporary context.
Artist Statement
Recent inspiration on my practice has come from the contemporary redefining of such terms as Nature, Landscape, Environmentalism and Ecology. Through my works I explore new ways of understanding of nature, and the connection between humans and nonhuman entities. I also have an ongoing focus on landscape and the theory connected to landscape, I am interested in new ways of looking and depicting landscape through a contemporary lens. With my works I aim to explore underlying concerns that challenge our understanding of our place in the ‘natural world’. I have become increasingly concerned with the changes of our planet due to a socio-political, economic and specifically anthropocentric standpoint. I have decided in recent years to engage my professional career towards developing works which form questions of social norms, common knowledge and unknowns with a focus on our connection/disconnection to, or our being a part of a much larger ecosystem. I seek out connections or parallels between human society and non-human species and create art works that highlight these links, differences, or separations. My research is a tentative balance between varying disciplines, from contemporary politics, sciences, ecology, philosophy and contemporary theoretical theory. I often use absurdity and humor as a tool adding an element of openness to my work. My aim is that my art works are accessible to all, easily read but layered with underlying questions and queries. My practice to date has incorporated many mediums, my background is based in photography and video however my practice has diversified to focus on a more conceptual approach to artistic medium. As such Artworks I have created in recent times are not medium specific and instead the mediums used are dependent on the subject matter/s addressed. I have recently made works of installation, performance and works utilizing new digital technologies of 3d scanning, printing and virtual reality.
I often work with large long-term research projects, creating works as a series under the umbrella of a specific topic of research, this has included projects such as Tweeter a two-year project exploring human’s connection to garden birds, I Have Never Given Landscape much Thought an ongoing, long term project involving a myriad of works which explore contemporary notions of landscape as an artistic medium and most recently If a Tree Makes a Sound a two year project creating art works which explore notions of ownership over nature, non-human sentience and human-centric ideals using trees both as a specific and metaphoric example with which to explore our contemporary relationship to nature or human connection to nature.
Education
2016 - 2018
MFA, Art and Public Space, Kunsthøgskolen I Oslo
2009 - 2011
MA Contemporary Dialogues, Swansea Metropolitan University
2005 - 2008
BA(hons), Photographic Art, University of Wales, Newport
2004 - 2005
Foundation/National Diploma Art and Design, Swansea Institute
Selected Exhibitions
March 2021-May 2021 Artist Residency, P1 Project with Tenthaus Oslo and Tistedal Skole, Halden
March 2021 Solo Exhibtion, Sarpsborg Kunstforrening, Sarpsborg
November 2020 Solo Exhibtion, Elysium Gallery, Swansea
November 2019 Hands Up!, Blunk, Trondheim
November 2019 Construction of a New Body, Kurant/Stakkevollan, Tromsø
June 2019 Sommer Utstilling, Østfold Kunstsenter, Fredrikstad
May 2019 I Don’t Want to Be an Ant, Video screening, SALT, Oslo
May/June 2018 Traust, KHiO, Galleri Seilduken, Oslo
February 2018 Can’t See the Woods for the Trees/Made In Woods, Galleri Seilduken, Oslo
March 2017 Moan, group exhibition, KHiO, Oslo
March 2017 Hvem er redd for denne stor stygge, Video Screening, Kunstnerens Hus, Oslo
June 2014 Catherines tømmer Halden hjerte, Performance and public arts display, Tista river, Halden
May 2014 A Landscape of My Own Never Did Exist, Solo Exhibition, Galleri Wenda, Halden
February 2014 Mini Residency, Valand Accademy, Göteborg
February 2014 Bild Bild group exhibition, Rotor och Rotor2, Valand Accademy, Göteborg
September 2013 The Crossing Place of Road & River, Oriel Davies Gallery, Powys, Wales
January 2013 A Beautiful World, The Photographic Angle, London and various locations across UK
November 2012 100 years of photography at Newport, Group Show, Newport, Wales
September 2012 World Event Young Artists, Group Show/Arts Festival, Nottingham
July 2012 Being2, Group Exhibition, Queens Arcade, Cardiff
March 2012 The Script of the Stone and the Tongue of the Wave, AiR, Super Saurus Art space, Swansea,
September 2011 Tweeter, The ... Space, Mission Gallery, Swansea
May 2011 MA contemporary Dialogues, Swansea Metropolitan University, Swansea
May 2011 Vertical Cinema 6, Solo Presentation of the Tweeter Project, Gwdyhw, Cardiff
March 2011 Direct Action, Group Show, on•for•at video, institut für alles mögliche, Berlin
April 2011 The Birds in my Garden, Solo Exhibition, 8week Gallery, Old Motorcycle showroom, Bristol
April 2010 Chorus with the birds, Participatory project, In association with Bristol May Fest, Bristol
FUNDING / AWARDS
August 2018 Kulturrådet, diversestipend for nyutdannede kunstnere, Norway
June 2018 FKDS Stipend, Norway
March 2016 Halden Kommune Kulturmidler Grant, Norway
May 2015 Kulturrådet Prosjektstøtte visuell kunst Grant, Norway
March 2014 Halden Kommune Kulturmidler Grant, Norway
August 2013 Arts Council Wales, Small Project Grant
April 2013 Arts Council Wales, Research and Development Grant
March 2012 Arts Council Wales, Small Project Grant
CURATED EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS
September 2016, 4 Under 30, work of four young artists, Halden Kunstforrening, Halden, Norge
September 2015, I Want To Sing My Song, work by Kjell Cahmina, Wenda, Halden, Norge
June 2015, I Wish You Could Be Here To See Me Now, work by Inger Birgitte Richenberg, Wenda, Halden, Norge
May/June 2013, Heimer, Group Exhibition of four young female photographic artists from Norway ,The Cove, Swansea, UK
June 2010, Journey and Memory, Exhibition/Event, Curator Group Exhibition, Three Cliffs Gallery, Swansea, UK
December 2009, The Gower arts: Winter, Curator Group Exhibition, Three Cliffs Gallery, Swansea, UK
September 2009, The Gower Arts: Young Contemporaries, Curator Group Exhibition, Monkey bar/ gallery, Swansea, UK
June 2009, The Gower arts: Spring festival, Curator Group Exhibition, Three Cliffs Gallery, Swansea, UK
August 2008, The ʻParadiseʼ Project, Curator Group Exhibition, Elysium Gallery, Swansea, UK
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