Hugo McCloud

In his third solo exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery, Hugo McCloud explores the environmental and human toll of global capitalism with works composed entirely of single-use plastic bags.

While McCloud has utilized industrial materials such as tar paper, scrap metal, and solder in past work, these new compositions mark a foray into figuration. The discarded plastic bags are cut into tiny pieces and collaged into painterly and evocative scenes depicting physical labor. McCloud’s mostly dark-skinned subjects struggle and strain under the weight of the products they transport, from pineapples to suitcases. The cycle of production and consumption makes the world go ‘round—but like the indestructible plastic bag, who gets left behind?