For Art Lovers: Ronnie Hughes at The MAC
Abby Davidson
Ronnie Hughes is one of those artists whose work makes you stop, think and wonder.
Born in 1965 in Belfast, Hughes studied Fine Art at the University of Ulster in 1989, achieving his Master’s. Since then, he has had several solo exhibitions throughout Ireland and worldwide and has completed various awarded residencies in New York, Canada, Connecticut and beyond. His work is held in many collections including in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. His latest exhibition is being held at the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast and runs until March 13 this year.
Known as one of Ireland’s “most dynamic abstract painters”, his work is simultaneously fun and lively while remaining thought-provoking. Walking into the exhibition room, one of the first things you notice is colour. Lots and lots of colour. From the brightest pink to the most vibrant yellow, Hughes uses colour to capture the viewers’ attention and draw them in closer until they are forced to notice the deeper complexities of the pieces.
The closer you observe each painting, the more you find. The surface of the canvases are anything but flat and smooth. Brush texture, mixed-media layering – Hughes does not try to disguise the marks of the maker, leaving his artistic signature open for every viewer to read.
Abstract forms and shapes are frequently found. A pair of paintings which are blank white canvases with a mirage of coloured triangles are placed on mirroring positions along one wall of the gallery. Sandwiched in between them are two of the most vibrant pieces in the gallery, creating an interesting juxtaposition between order and chaos – the former being the order, the latter the chaos. Despite this initial perception, the viewer can tell that every mark is placed with a purpose, nothing is random or truly chaotic.
The mood shifts when you turn the corner into the second smaller exhibition space to face a wall of smaller, more subtle words. The seven square-framed paintings share a grayscale palette and an alphabetical motif. The letters that fill the canvases appear to make no sense, so the viewer tirelessly attempts to put together words and meanings where they may not exist. Perhaps Hughes has simply created a secret message that only he has the key to.
A quote from Hughes was displayed alongside the exhibition:
I’m interested in exposing these unseen forces, the things that lie beneath appearance. The physical act of making a painting is for me an act of discovery, a quest to extract a veiled or hidden reality. I try to make paintings that reward careful looking and that encourage contemplation.
His words summarise the experience of the exhibition. A discovery of the artist’s story through colour, texture, pattern and text, Hughes’ work ultimately encourages a childlike curiosity and questioning of the perceived simplicity that masks a hidden message waiting to be discovered.
Abby Davidson is a Culture reporter for The Scoop and a Liberal Arts student at Queen’s University Belfast