Matthew McHugh, “The Hounds,” 2026, watercolor and gouache, 36×48 inches
The Curfman Gallery at Colorado State University is hosting the exhibition, “Under the Sun.” In this solo exhibition, artist Matthew McHugh reflects on the vastness of time and transience of human life. McHugh recontextualizes Paleolithic cave art and utilizes imagery of celestial bodies to explore the connectedness of humanity while referencing his individual place within it.
“Under the Sun” is on display in the Curfman Gallery from Aug. 11-Nov. 6. Join the opening reception and artist talk from 4:30-6 p.m. on Sept. 2, with remarks from the artist at 5 p.m.
Artist bio
Matthew McHugh is from Fort Collins. He earned an Master of Fine Arts in drawing, painting and printmaking from Purdue University in 2021 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing from Colorado State University in 2016. He regularly shows in nationally and internationally juried exhibitions and is an active member of the Society of American Graphic Artists. His recent juried exhibitions include The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair in London, The 16th Annual Drawing Discourse at the University of North Carolina Asheville, Aquachrome at Manifest Gallery and The 7th Annual Atlanta Print Biennial. McHugh is living out his passion for teaching and art as an instructor at the University of Northern Colorado.
Exhibition statement
Matthew McHugh reflects on the vastness of time and the transience of individual human life. In much of his work, he recontextualizes cave art to comment on the cumulative nature of human experiences. Paleolithic artworks are some of the oldest remaining artifacts of the human trajectory through time. Humanity as we know it would not exist without the foundational contributions of the earliest people. In that sense, cave art constantly overshadows the present and prompts us to ask what our place is within the larger story of humanity.
In other pieces, figures interact with cosmic bodies, whether merging with them directly or contemplating them from a distance. The celestial bodies exhibit both stability and constant motion. Since the dawn of humankind, the sun, moon and stars have provided structures and patterns to help us interpret time. McHugh is also a passionate stargazer, and he experiences an overwhelming sense of the sublime when contemplating the vastness of the universe. The infinite immensity of space and time are humbling and terrifying, yet they can also bring comfort, inspiration and peace.
Each work reflects on our relationship with time. Some pieces show time as a predator that consumes all else, yet this consumption brings about change and growth. In other instances, the work reflects time as the ever-turning wheel from which springs life, consciousness and human connection. McHugh lives with a painful, incurable chronic spine disease called ankylosing spondylitis, which often leads him to see time as a cycle of struggle. As he goes through different phases of this disease, he has also learned to not take time for granted. He gains comfort from the realization that his experiences are only a small drop in the monumental current of time, yet the current would not exist without the contributions of each drop. As the medium through which our lives move, time deserves our contemplation.
For further information, contact the Curfman Gallery at [email protected], or contact the artist at [email protected] or mmchughart.com.
