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.
Sara 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. Sara balances working in a traditional gallery space with creating site-specific and often temporary works in public spaces.
Honours
Sara Hughes' 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 participated 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. In 2008/09 she undertook the Creative New Zealand Berlin Visual Artists Residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin.