HUGH HAYDEN (1983 - )
Feather Camo #2.

Silver pheasant feathers and glen plaid fabric, mounted to board, 2014. 457x610 mm; 18x24 inches.

Provenance: acquired from a charity auction benefiting Aljira Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, NJ; private collection, NJ.

Feather Camo #2 is a mixed media artwork from surrealist sculptor, Hugh Hayden. While in residence in the Scottish Highlands, he sourced material from the natural surroundings. Utilizing pheasant feathers and glen plaid, he wields found organic materials to anthropomorphize the natural world as a means for exploring the human condition. The feathers were sourced while hunting game during his residency, and the plaid links culturally to the land and people native to Scotland. The sculptures he completed during the 2014 residency are multi-layered objects composed of organic materials, that create new forms, and force the viewer to reflect on the macro and micro of humankind.

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1983, Hugh Hayden lives and works in New York City. His practice extends beyond sculpture, including performance and fabric arts. He recently was awarded a commission from the Madison Square Park Conservancy titled Hugh Hayden: Brier Patch, 2022, that traveled to the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC. Solo exhibitions have been mounted at The Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey in 2020 and White Columns in New York in 2018. He is the recipient of residencies at Glenfiddich in Dufftown, Scotland, 2014; Abrons Art Center and Socrates Sculpture Park, both 2012; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, 2011. His works are included in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.