Scott Hug
Scott Hug is an artist, curator, and graphic designer whose work deals with current social and political events, investigating politics, pop culture, and media obsession. He is also the founder of K48, an “artist's fanzine,” that since 1999 has published features on fashion, design, and art written by artists–often accompanied by a CD of music and videos. Describing the origins of the publication, Hug has said “My aim was to bridge the gap between different disciplines from art to music, to fashion and design, both high and low. I wanted to open it up and have fun. I thought the NY art world was very cold and stiff–it needed a good kick in the butt!”
For his personal art practice, Hug appropriates images from the mainstream popular media such as Time magazine and the New York Post, echoing the American obsession with celebrities. He draws attention to how that this type of gossip “news” distracts people from more important social and political matters. In 2007 he silkscreened a series headshots of famous personalities such as Lindsay Lohan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Janet Jackson, captioning each with self-help soundbites such as “Get Well Soon” and “Day of Rest.” Furthering the sentiment that …
Scott Hug is an artist, curator, and graphic designer whose work deals with current social and political events, investigating politics, pop culture, and media obsession. He is also the founder of K48, an “artist's fanzine,” that since 1999 has published features on fashion, design, and art written by artists–often accompanied by a CD of music and videos. Describing the origins of the publication, Hug has said “My aim was to bridge the gap between different disciplines from art to music, to fashion and design, both high and low. I wanted to open it up and have fun. I thought the NY art world was very cold and stiff–it needed a good kick in the butt!”
For his personal art practice, Hug appropriates images from the mainstream popular media such as Time magazine and the New York Post, echoing the American obsession with celebrities. He draws attention to how that this type of gossip “news” distracts people from more important social and political matters. In 2007 he silkscreened a series headshots of famous personalities such as Lindsay Lohan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Janet Jackson, captioning each with self-help soundbites such as “Get Well Soon” and “Day of Rest.” Furthering the sentiment that media frenzy ultimately leads to implosion, he has also layered front page images of media disasters, such a Hurricane Charley and Anna Nicole Smith’s death, on a large canvas whose center is blotted by a black hole.
Hug’s work has been shown at institutions such as Ballroom Marfa in Texas, Brooklyn Academy of Music, North Miami’s MOCA, The Kitchen in New York, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and Brooklyn Museum of Art. He is the recipient of a Rema Hort Mann grant.
