To continue our Interview Series, offering an insight into artists’ practices whilst under lockdown restrictions, we interviewed William Hughes to see how he has adapted and if these unprecedented times have inspired further development.

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1- Who are you? Introduce yourself

My names William Hughes, I’m an artist from Coventry. I’ve just finished my fine art degree at Coventry University. My practice developed a lot over my degree and now I have a studio practice I am excited about and am keen to explore further. Using handed down material and notebooks from my grandfather, I create pieces exploring processes of memory and remembering. I create works of abstraction and suggestion set in spaces that trigger feelings of familiarity in the audience using often discarded, weathered material. 

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2- What is your artistic practice?- What drove you to work as you are now? How has this been impacted by lockdown restrictions and the pandemic?

Since being in lock-down I’ve tried to keep positive; creating work with what I have available to me. Ordinarily I create work on canvases, and create traditional films for projection, yet through these times; these resources are less available. 

A quote from Robert Morris really influences my practice: “Memory is a delay. Memory is a fragment. Memory is of the body that passed. Memory is the trace of a wave goodbye made with a slightly clenched fist”. Memory is unreliable, fragmented and yet supportive; since being in lockdown, I have explored areas in which we feel supported and where initial memories are created – the home. My work is presented in setting curated to show a domestic environment where the audience can apply their collective memory to the space and lockdown has allowed me to explore my immediate surroundings further and deeper. Lock down has made me explore my immediate surroundings and curate my domestic settings. Inspired by such work as Jeremy Deller’s 1993 piece Open Bedroom, Hans Ulrich Olbrist’s piece 1991 The Kitchen Show and Harald Szeemann’s 2018 piece Grandfather A Pioneer Like Us, I have applied my individual themes of memory, the processes of memory and remembering in an environment where these memories would predominantly been made. I have explored areas and corners of my home and treated these as gallery environments by curating exhibitions in these spaces. An example of this is the work entitled: Overhaul. Overhaul looked at an exhibition in a domestic space that links parts of the home together: that being the hallway. Overhaul was created in the space based on residual mark, memory; nostalgic handed down material and the concept of ‘if walls could talk’. The amount of memories these walls we live in would hold, if they could talk these would be the most reliable interpretations. The work created from this domestic project have been some of my favourites; a series of canvas studies using deteriorated and recycled materials that I have available to me exploring residual traces from prominent memories. This project is ever expanding with the final outcome to hold a fully curated exhibition throughout my home. This will explore the idea of memory through a radical response showcasing faded and weathered artifacts, candid family moments and residual traced processes on canvases and reclaimed material. 

Being an artist through lockdown has been quite a liberating process. I have tried to keep positive and busy throughout this ever-changing, unknown period. As well as this main project I have been creating a photography project. This black and white series is influenced from the Friedrich Nietzsche quote: “Thoughts are shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler”. Digitally edited and drawn on photographs from Coventry. Exploring the traces of light and shadow imprinted into thoughts from positive or negative experiences; the project looks at mental health, social anxiety and self-confidence and the idea of being hidden in shadows’. 

 

3- What are you currently working on? (virtual exhibitions, creative movements, collaborative projects, maintaining production of work)

As well as developing the exhibition project throughout my home (which will culminate in either a physical or virtual exhibition) and the photography project (which will culminate in a zine and prints), I have been working on multiple new projects. 

Since graduating I have tried to promote my work as much as possible through social media platforms and projects set up by some incredible people! Being featured on pages such as: The Social Distance Art Project, Sad Grads and The Student Gallery has really boosted the social reach of my work and benefited my practice – so I’d like to say thank you to them!

During this time, I have developed and launched my website as well that is being regularly updated with new artwork and projects (which I will attach at the end). This has been great as it allowed me to edit and review previous work, something I should do more regularly. Working as an artist has its ups and downs but as I’ve said, it’s been quite a liberating process. I have applied for a lot of opportunities some successful and unsuccessful – but that comes with being an artist. I have learnt a lot about myself, what I can do, create and write about when I am given such a chance. I’ve been networking a lot, introducing myself to curators and other art professionals which has resulted in some incredible opportunities. I’ve started working with a community interest company which is incredible and was invited to be in an online exhibition with StudioELL (online) which was such a confidence boost. Also, I was recently part of The SHIM / Bachelors Show which was exhibited on Artsy. Being on such a platform is incredible and has led to more opportunities and personal development and I am excited (and a bit nervous) to see what happens next. 

Collaboration is important and throughout lockdown, this idea became more prominent. I, along with a fellow artist and writer friend have started to think about collaborative projects mixing art with the spoken and written word which would involve profiling art graduates in the Midlands area. This collab is a really exciting prospect in its early stages. 

The idea of keeping busy has always been a vital aspect in my progression. Throughout university I tried to keep busy creating work, reading and participating in projects / exhibitions to gain as much experience as I can. This belief was vital to keep me going throughout lockdown and will continue now we are entering a ‘new normal’.

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4- What is next? – How, if at all, has this pandemic inspired further progression?

The pandemic has if anything cemented beliefs I had already felt throughout my time in university but has allowed me to develop new ideas and projects; exploring new pathways and opportunities in a liberating sense. Staying busy throughout this period has its ups and downs, so I think I might have a little break over the Summer away from screens. This time away from screens / electricity will allow me to discover a deeper understanding of where myself and my work will go next. 

The pandemic made me explore my immediate surroundings (being my home) and this will continue and only grow moving out of this. Curating has always been a passion of mine (a career I hope to go into in the next coming years) and I plan to progress this knowledge and gain experience in this field. Pop Up exhibitions will play a role in this – I plan to curate a number of pop ups throughout Coventry city centre to try and get the public back into the city post lockdown. These are being planned at the moment but will be happening soon. 

I hope to start to work more in the arts in the city. A lot of projects and collaborations I was working on before lockdown were postponed and some haven’t started again so hopefully these will again soon. With Coventry being the city of culture in 2021 and the third Coventry biennial starting in Autumn 2021, I hope to get involved with both of these exciting opportunities and will do my best to do so. The pandemic has reinforced this interest. 

 

5- Where can we find you? Extra projects you are working on, social media, website, exhibitions you will be in, etc.

You can find me on Instagram, that being: @will.hughesss. I post images of my work being created, hung in exhibitions and some photography – nothing too serious. My website is https://hugheswilliam74.wixsite.com/mysite – please feel free to have a look through. It is updated regularly with new work, new exhibitions and photography. My email is hugheswilliam74@gmail.com – please feel free to get in touch, it would be great to talk to other artists working through lockdown and potentially collaborate – who knows. That’s the beauty of this online working, there is freedom to interact with likeminded individuals and there are possibilities to work together on projects. I’ll attach my LinkedIn profile as well: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-hughes-1072821a4/ .

Over the coming weeks I’m going to exhibited in Safe House in London with Uncovered Collective in the exhibition: Emergent Vision. This is going to be such a great exhibition and I am so excited to be part of this! If you are around London in October, be sure to come and see. Collaborative projects and pop up projects are starting to get momentum – I am excited for these so do get in touch to be considered for being involved. There will be open calls and the like moving forward. Finally, I would like to say thank you to Dispensary Gallery for allowing me the opportunity to answer and be part of the lockdown interview series. It’s been great – you are incredible for supporting artists throughout these strange times.