A local artist with a message
By Adriana Serafino | Manor Ink
MANY INTERESTS Jeffersonville artist Scott Hug. Adriana Serafino photo
In the art world, an artist must wear many hats, employing many different skills while learning to overcome challenges. Scott Hug, an artist who divides his time between Jeffersonville and New York City, has faced an ever changing landscape of challenges as his work has evolved over the years.
Hug’s story begins in high school in a small town in Missouri where there wasn’t much of an art scene. Fortunately a teacher introduced him to graphic design, and helped him build a portfolio in order to apply for a scholarship enabling him to attend college.
He went on to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago and a Masters of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. While in New York City, he created a magazine/journal called K48.
“It was a way for me to merge my interests all across the board, from art, design, photography and fashion to music,” said Hug of the publication.
K48 was almost like a time capsule of New York City in the new millennium of the early 2000s, with the arts providing social commentary on what was happening at the time.
Today, Hug continues his involvement with social commentary, having curated a summer show at Gallery 52 in Jeffersonville. Titled “The Twilight World, Queer Magic at the Edge of Midnight,” the exhibit featured 19 artists whose work shines as a beacon through uncertain times.
Over the last decade, Scott Hug has also invested great passion into a documentary video about Bern Porter. Though one of America’s most interesting artists, Porter began his career as a scientist.
“It’s really about a pioneer, an artist who was a pioneer,” Hug said of the documentary. “He not only did DIY publishing, but also created what he called ‘founds’. They consisted of cut-up advertisements and media that Porter reappropriated in a very American Dada fashion, pointing the finger at the way we consume, the way we create waste, and really the irony of the American dream.”
Work on the film is expected to be completed by next year. Hug himself is directing the documentary while doing all the writing and videography, as well as conducting interviews and research.
To see more of Scott Hug’s work, visit scotthug.com or @mr._hug on Instagram.
