Dean Hughes, Windowless work, 2013. wood, dyed calico and thread. 64 x 42 x 4.5 cm, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes
24 January – 8 March 2014
at Maria Stenfors
London, UK
“the art of making knots, which is the peak of both mental abstraction and manual work, could be seen as the human characteristic par excellence, just as much and perhaps even more than language…” – Italo Calvino
In his first exhibition at Maria Stenfors, Dean Hughes introduces a new series comprised of hand dyed, stitched calico shapes composed upon identical wooden slats. Calico, being unbleached and not fully processed, absorbs colour easily into the threads of equal weft and warp. Once the fabric is saturated with dye, it does not return to its original flat and uniform appearance and shows the definition and contours of the lines of dots and dashes that constitute the fabric. The geometry is allowed to relax and demonstrate the nature of the material. The work does not focus on its physicality but what the material reveals.
Hand sewn lines pepper the work in a simple and beguiling fashion. For Hughes, the relationship between stitching and thinking is inseparable, and as the line undulates from the surface to the hidden underside, the direction takes on a clearly thought out path, unpicking action from intention. The drawing is found as much on the slats as it is held on the fabric. Each fragment exists in relation to the others in beautiful compositions of lines, geometry and proportions. [read the full text here]
Maria Stenfors
Unit 10, 21 Wren Street,
London WC1X 0HF UK
mariastenfors.com
Opening hours
Tuesday – Friday: 11.00 am – 6.00 pm
Saturday: 11.00 am – 3.00 pm
Or by appointment.
Dean Hughes, The shape of things, 2013. wood, dyed calico and thread. 64 x 42 x 4.5 cm Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, Winter, 2013. wood, dyed calico and thread. 64 x 42 x 4.5 cm. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, Half light/half shade, 2014. wood, dyed calico and thread. 64 x 42 x 4.5 cm. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, installation view, 2014. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, installation view, 2014. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, installation view, 2014. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London
Dean Hughes, installation view, 2014. Courtesy the artist and Maria Stenfors, London