Art in Action | Hugo McCloud

Co-presented with our Lead Partner UBS
In the latest episode of Art Basel’s ‘Art in Action’ series, we visit Hugo McCloud in his Los Angeles studio. There he takes us through the origin and creation of his artworks using plastic bags as the primary material. In these works, McCloud depicts scenarios - the transportation of goods, construction, landscaping - that are common across the globe to tell the stories of the laborers who often go unnoticed. The pieces presented in the film are part of a series McCloud informally refers to as ‘the burdened man.’ It is an homage to the anonymous men and women whose daily subsistence is an extraordinary act of resilience. ‘The stories of these individuals and the strengths they carry is something to look up to,’ he says.