Sara Hughes (b. 1971), whose work will feature on the exterior of the new HBMAG wing, has exhibited extensively since graduating with an MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts in 2001.
Hughes works on a grand scale making full use of non-traditional media and techniques. Her use of technology is inventive and considered, and her mode of working pushes the boundaries of how visual artists have traditionally practiced here in New Zealand. She combines the machine-generated with the handmade, the mass-produced with the individually crafted. Hughes balances working in a traditional gallery space with creating site-specific and often temporary works in public spaces.
Honours
Her work has attracted significant attention winning both the Wallace Art Award and the Norsewear Art Award in 2005. In 2008 she was the first New Zealand recipient of The RIPE: Art and Australia/ANZ Private Bank Contemporary Art Award.
Sara Hughes has been selected to participate in a number of notable residencies including the Francis Hodgkins Fellowship in 2003 and The International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York in 2007. She is currently undertaking the 2008/09 Creative New Zealand Berlin Visual Artists Residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin.
Hughes has been particularly noted for her innovative public artworks, undertaking a number of public commissions including installations for the Darling Island Apartments in Sydney, St Kentigern College in Auckland and the University of Auckland. Hughes’ paintings and installations are held in many important Australasian public and private collections including the Chartwell Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the National Gallery of Australia.