Farida Hughes / Embedded Poetries

April 26 - May 18, 2024

Painting

Artist Statement:
My paintings approach human connection as a social construction influenced by personal identity and developed relationships. They are set apart by their glossy finish, layers of organic shapes, and advanced luminosity.  

I place my work within the canon of color rich organic abstraction combined with my own infatuation for contemporary light art and time-based practices. Collected narratives and actual observation of human interactions influence the way I create and place shapes within my paint, and how I utilize fluidity, transparency, and color harmonies. Personal recollections that direct the work are mostly obscure to the viewer but are important influences on composition and detail. My unique method of mixing my paint into epoxy resin results in a slow build of lush, glossy surfaces, playing with metaphors of hiding and revealing as the underlying layers leisurely expose themselves. Inspiration is both the challenge and discovery within the plasticity of the medium, and the entanglement of human narratives of relocation, connection, isolation, bridging divisions, and finding joy. The paintings encourage emotional connection through their color palettes and surfaces, as well as the intelligence of their subject matter which can be felt before it is known.

The diptych format intrigues me as a way to acknowledge the two sides of my own ethnicity, to think about dualities within ourselves, and explore bridges of connection between two people. I am working my medium by painting gestures that look immediate, yet are made of layered isolated pools of color with each mark carefully considered. I initiate notions of human connection and intimacy through the movement of forms. 

One ongoing project, the Blends paintings, celebrates diversity in humanity through the sensitive appreciation of multiplicities in identity. An abstract endgame begins with content as the paintings develop from solicited lists and stories of real peoples’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds and experiences. The blended histories of people allow consideration of interesting identity issues that the abstract “portraits” explore through formal investigation: colors are distinct, but layered together they become new forms, and the paintings develop as I join parts into harmony. The pieces become constructed composite “portraits”, composed of colors and shapes that combine visually to create a new and complex identity. Paintings are exhibited with the corresponding stories. 

Biography:
Farida Hughes, (b. New York) is a Baltimore, Maryland visual artist, whose work is distinguished by vibrant color and translucent layerings of shapes. She studied at Fordham University (NY) and then obtained an MFA in visual art at the University of Chicago. She exhibits nationally in venues such as The Delaware Contemporary Art Museum (Wilmington, DE), Asian Arts & Culture Center (Towson, MD), Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (Milwaukee, WI). Hughes received grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board. She is currently represented by Walker Fine Art (Denver, CO) and Bozzuto Greene Art (Lutherville, MD). Hughes’ paintings are included in private and institutional collections and have been commissioned or placed for projects throughout the US. 

Website: faridahughes.com
Instagram: faridahughes_artist