Meridians, Booth M10
Hugo McCloud Solo Presentation
Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL
VIP Days: December 6-7, 2023
Public Days: December 8-10, 2023
For the 2023 Meridians section, Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles and Vielmetter Los Angeles co-present an ambitious, site-specific installation debuting a new series of eight large plastic paintings by Hugo McCloud inspired by his relocation to Los Angeles from Mexico.
This new body of work centers on the ubiquitous, colorful fruit cart vendor umbrellas found throughout the city of Los Angeles. McCloud draws inspiration from the simultaneous connotations of hope and displacement, labor and pleasure, color and grit, which these umbrellas signify, using them as metaphors for his experience rebuilding a life and home in this new environment. McCloud’s controlled and delicate manipulation of non-traditional multi-colored single use plastic transforms this quotidian, often overlooked material into a rich innovative form of contemporary pigment that gives new life to an often-discarded object. Whereas McCloud’s earlier works depict scenes of physical labor —vendors transporting towering piles of goods by bicycle or on foot and workers carrying loads of building materials and fruit—these new paintings indicate labor, though the figure is absent.
The paintings will be installed on two parallel walls, recalling an avenue or alley way. The walls feature a unique printed vinyl mural in muted tones of gray, sourced from McCloud’s own photo documentation of Los Angeles’ streets, its subdued tone offsetting the optimism of the colorful umbrellas.
For more information on the fair, including hours and ticketing information, please visit artbasel.com/miami-beach
For inquiries on Hugo McCloud, please email Lauren Kelly at Lauren@skny.com