Gladstone Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by English artist Richard Hughes. Drawing inspiration from the seemingly banal objects of daily life, Hughes’ sculptural installations reflect upon instances of the everyday with formal clarity and wit. Often refashioning his subjects using materials such as fiberglass, cast resin, silicone, and polyurethane, Hughes engages us in a process of illusion and artifice, a strategy that continually plays upon our sense of order, knowledge, and perception. However, Hughes is not interested in the meticulous work of trompe-l'oeil effects or methods of mimetic reproduction, instead he transforms the attitude of these objects, allowing them to reclaim their own object-hood through drawing us into moments of suspended time, distilling small events as they unfold. Focused upon the simplicity of these aesthetic arrangements, such as a bike tire contentedly slung around a pipe, a burning matchstick placed upon a shelf, or a blanketed motorcycle, Hughes directs our attention to the destiny of these objects and the inescapable poetics of our everyday narratives.

Born in Birmingham, England in 1974, Hughes’ work has been included in exhibitions at various international institutions, including: Sculpture Court, Tate Britain, London; The Showroom, London, “Mapping the studio: Artists from the François Pinault Collection,” Punta della Dogana, Venice, Italy; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, U.K.; Kunstverein Heidelberg, Germany; and The Drawing Room, London. Hughes was included in the 2006 Liverpool Biennial as well as nominated for the 2006 Beck’s Futures award. His work was included in the accompanying exhibition at the ICI, London.