"Landscapes opened a whole new world for me, one that was awesome and exciting… There’s something very open-ended about the idea of a landscape that appeals to me too. All landscapes are constantly changing, whether it’s the time of day or the temperature or the weather patterns and things growing and dying. The constant state of change created so much possibility."
—Shara Hughes
Populated by bizarre forms, indeterminate shapes and chromatic brilliance, American artist Shara Hughes’ oeuvre is as delightful as it is complex. Critically acclaimed for her magical portrayals of both interior and exterior worlds, Hughes’ compositions succeed in challenging her viewers, as she cultivates a unique visual experience that navigates perceptions of depth, logic, and reality. Evoking the warped and whimsical aesthetics of the shimmering landscapes by Henri-Edmond Cross; to the saturated tones of Fauvism; or for a more contemporary reading—works by artists Dana Shultz and Matthew Wong, Hughes’ artistic narrative celebrates a constellation of art historical and contemporary inspirations. At the same time, her visual language is one that is instantly recognisable and distinctively hers, characterised by playful brushwork and loud colour. Hughes’ canvases are powerful in their ability to encompass both literal and psychological spaces, commanding attention wherever they are displayed.

"Ms. Hughes' contribution to the present is vital because she combines these historical traditions with current ones […] There are plenty of nods to historical precedents, and yet Ms. Hughes' paintings look spontaneous and unaffected, as if, paradoxically, she has done no homework at all."
—Martha Schwendener
Over the Overcast, executed in 2015, teleports the viewers into Hughes’ surreal, imaginary realm, situating us within an eccentric, indistinguishable landscape. Our line of sight is framed by a vibrant chorus of flora— with twisting roots and tree trunks that are dotted with blossoming flowers and mysterious organic forms composed of animated brushstrokes. Beyond this, in the background lies a picture of a tropical, sandy beach, which marks a diagonal cross upwards along the picture plane, leading our eyes to the curving horizon line of faraway hills that fall into the sea. Rendered with an almost blurred effect of pastel hues that sharply contrasts the more vibrantly detailed foreground, the combination conjures images of both the exotic and idyllic, evoking the hazy snapshots of a distant memory as Hughes beckons viewers to bear their own memories onto the landscape scene.

Hughes works entirely from the depths of her imagination, avoiding all physical reference points. As she explains, ‘I don’t have any plans when I start a landscape; it is usually very subconscious and intuitive. I merely play around with colour and texture, whether it’s a work on paper, or a painting, and then something clicks and I start to organise it into a landscape that doesn’t necessarily identify with a specific place.’ i Adopting an intuitive approach, she instead explores what she has described as ‘invented landscapes’—placeless places that resonate with emotional depth and posses a universal appeal’. ii
Well-established through a series of smaller exhibitions with galleries on both sides of the Atlantic, it was her inclusion in the 2017 Whitney Biennial that first garnered Hughes major international attention. Since her first solo show in 2007 at Rivington Arms, New York, Hughes has since been showing steadily in galleries across the US and Europe for nearly 15 years. In 2020, Hughes opened her first exhibition with Pilar Corrias in London.
Her works are included in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of fine Art, the Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Denver Museum of Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Hughes’ first major exhibition in the United States opened in September 2021 at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Titled Shara Hughes: On Edge, it closed on 27 February 2022. Hughes was also recently been honoured with a solo exhibition at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai – Shara Hughes: The Bridge, which ran from 6 November 2021 – 9 January 2022.