Curatorial Statement | Artist's Résumé


Thousands of tiny dots cover the surfaces of City Gallery Wellington's foyer, like an overnight infestation of a hyperactive and extremely colourful virus. Sara Hughes' installations have humble beginnings: sheets of vinyl are cut into tiny circles or squares which are glued directly to the gallery walls in intricate patterns reminiscent of detailed fabric designs. Yet, as Hughes herself has said, 'It is important the work doesn't just cover a wall but has an interaction with the space in which it is placed.' Unashamedly decorative, Hughes' installations refer to the history of pattern making, as far back as mosaics and fresco painting. They also explore the more recent emergence of the pixel as a means to convey complex information digitally and to scientific references such as molecular structures. In Telecom Prospect 2004 her work glides across the windows at the gallery entrance and dots wrap around the central pillars and spill onto the floor. The work has a hallucinogenic and trance-like effect; the foyer, an entry point to the gallery (a place to display information, meet friends, browse catalogues and store bags and coats), is temporarily unified as an immersive 'trip-out' zone.

Emma Bugden

The artist would like to thank Studio Arts Supplies for their support of her work in Telecom Prospect 2004.