Join us in coversation with Hugo Baud, ahead of our exclusive new collection of works launching at the gallery this week.
What led you to pursue art full-time? Was there a defining moment when you knew this was the path for you?
To define myself as an artist was never initially a desire of mine. During my Interior Architecture studies, about 12 years into my skating career, I injured myself quite badly whilst skateboarding. I swapped my board to a paintbrush to help ease my mind and what started out as a hobby, quickly became my passion. The wish of being a full time painter followed my practice in a way. The more success I found in exhibitions and selling my work, the more I wanted to pursue it; first with a part time job and then eventually plunging into painting full time. Despite all the hard aspects of being a painter or freelance artist in general, this lifestyle can offer flexibility with time management, which I both love and need.
Being a self taught painter, I think the moment I started to seriously pursue my path was the summer 2022 when I entered the art world. I had the wonderful opportunity of being included in a group show for one of my dream museums at that time, « Urban Nation » in Berlin and simultaneously I started to work with « Guy Hepner » in New York. Seeing that people were interested in what I was creating at the time gave me confidence in myself and work, which was the motivation I needed to make the leap to start to establish myself as an artist.
Are there any artists or movements that continue to shape your work today?
I draw a lot of my inspiration from the surrealist movement. I love when there is a bit of fantasy mixed with reality; when the situations and emotions that a painter depicts can be interpreted with some imagination. That is what painting is about for me, putting our uniquely weird worlds on a canvas…exhibiting that beautiful sweet spot where reality and fantasy (conscious and unconscious) meet. A few names of artists who continue to inspire me are: René Magritte, Salvador Dali, Leonora Carrington, Christian Rex Van Minnen, Benjamin spiers, Oli Epp, Laurent Proux.
When people see your paintings, what do you hope they take away from them?
I just hope that my work speaks to them in some way. That my paintings remind them of a situation or a memory that provokes some sort of emotion, whether that be joy, sorrow, passion or discomfort. It make me so happy when people come up to me with a personal anecdotes or interpretations of my paintings as opposed to asking for my personal inspiration behind the image.
From the pieces we’re releasing this week, do you have a personal favorite? Is there a particular story behind one that stands out to you?
My personal favorites would be « it’s a date », « Coming out swinging » and « dodging bullets »… « It’s a date » is more important to me because it’s the first painting where I explored these faceless figures; creating an emotion without mouth, eyes or emojis. These allows the viewer to focus more on colors, shapes and textures of the paint. It creates a less obvious image that leaves more room for personal interpretation, embodying the idea that less truly is more.
What’s your creative process like? Do you usually have a clear vision from the start, or does the piece evolve as you work?
My studio is always full of paintings. I tend to work on different pieces simultaneously. I usually start with an idea, that then turns into a black and white sketch, and will eventually evolve into a painting. I generally chooses colors whilst layering on the canvas. It is quite rare that the final painting stays true to the original sketch as new inspirations and ideas tend to come up throughout the process.
What’s ahead for you this year? Any exciting projects or goals you’re looking forward to?
I have a solo exhibition in Miami coming up soon. My general goal for this year is to show my work more (physically), to share it with more people. I would love to take my creatures out of the studio, to dismiss this digital world that can pressure us to share everything online but rather have my whimsical worlds admired in the way art is meant to be admired, up close and personal.
