Pieter Hugo

Pieter Hugo (born 1976) is a South African photographer who primarily works in portraiture. He lives in Cape Town.
Hugo has had four monographs published. He has had solo exhibitions at Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon (2018), Museum für Kuns und Kulturgeschichte, Dortmund, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany, National Portrait Gallery, London, Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow and the South African National Gallery, Cape Town. He has been included in group exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands, Tate Modern, London, DeVos Art Museum, Marquette, Michigan, and Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Santiago, Chile.
Early life
Hugo was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Career
He began his career working in the film industry in Cape Town, before undertaking a two-year residency at Fabrica research centre, Treviso, Italy.
Hugo has had four monographs published: Pieter Hugo: The Hyena and Other Men (2008), Pieter Hugo: Selected Works (2009), This Must Be the Place (2012), and Pieter Hugo: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (2017).
He has produced fashion photography features for Arena Homme Plus, Re-Edition Magazine, Document Journal, System Magazine and AnOther Man. He has also collaborated on publications with Louis Vuitton and Hood By Air.
Hugo has contributed to publications such as The New Yorker, Zeit magazine, Le Monde and The New York Times Magazine. In May 2015 he was invited to guest edit the supplement DeLuxe for the Dutch newspaper NRC.nl.
In 2011 Hugo collaborated with Michael Cleary, co-directing the music video for South African musician Spoek Mathambo's cover version of Joy Division's "She's Lost Control". For the video, Hugo won the Young Director Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2015 he directed the music video for "Dirty", a song by South African musical artists Dookoom.
Work
Hugo's work is governed by a self-taught approach to photography. He is one of a generation of post-Apartheid photographers that seeks to confront photography's history of representing marginalised and disempowered people. His work aims to challenge preconceptions around the representation of groups of people 'other' to the Western European norm.
Hugo's first major work Looking Aside (2006) depicts portraits of people "whose appearance makes us look aside" – the blind, people with albinism, the aged, his family and himself. Each of these portraits has the subject posed in a sterile studio setting, under crisp light against a blank background.
His Rwanda 2004: Vestiges of a Genocide (2011) was described by the Rwanda Genocide Institute as offering "a forensic view of some of the sites of mass execution and graves that stand as lingering memorials to the many thousands of people slaughtered." Hugo's most recognized work is The Hyena & Other Men (2007), which has received a great deal of attention.
His series Messina/Mussina (2007) was made in the town of Musina on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa, after Colors magazine asked Hugo to work on an AIDS story. Nollywood (2009) consists of pictures of the Nigerian film industry. For Permanent Error (2011) Hugo photographed the people and landscape of an expansive dump of obsolete technology in Ghana. There is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends (2012) depicts Hugo's family and friends from South Africa in digitally manipulated black and white portraits that aim to explore the contradictions of racial classification based on skin colour. Kin (2014) places even greater emphasis on the photographer's family and community which Hugo describes as "an engagement with the failure of the South African colonial experiment and my sense of being 'colonial driftwood'."
The Journey (2014) is a series of infrared images of sleeping passengers taken on a sixteen-hour flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta. Hugo prefaces the work which was presented both as an exhibition (2014) and newspaper format publication (2015) with a reflective monologue on the way that infrared images from the first invasion during the Iraq War have shifted associations with the medium from wildlife photography to conflict zones, and how contemporary surveillance has effectively challenged notions of the privacy and ownership of one's representation.
In the Spring of 2014, Hugo was commissioned by Creative Court to work in Rwanda for its "Rwanda 20 Years: Portraits of Reconciliation" project. The project was displayed in The Hague in the Atrium of The Hague City Hall for the 20th commemoration of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. A selection of the photos have also been displayed in New York at the exhibition Post-Conflict which was curated by Bradley McCallum, artist in residence for the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. The project served as the impetus for the photographic series 1994 (2017) which explores the post-revolutionary era in both South Africa and Rwanda through a series of portraits of children from both countries.
Flat Noodle Soup (2016) chronicles Hugo's lengthy engagement with the city of Beijing, exploring how concerns with expressing personal identity within societal norms and pressures are universal and trans-national.
La Cucaracha is a 2019 body of work made during four trips to Mexico over a two-year period. The photographic series explores Hugo's perception of the flamboyant and violent environment of Mexico with overt art historical references to the nation's visual canon of precolonial customs and revolutionary ideology.
Personal life
As of 2013, Hugo was married to film editor Tamsyn Reynolds, with whom he has two children.
Publications
Publications by Hugo
Looking Aside. Punctum, 2006. .
The Hyena & Other Men Munich: Prestel, 2007. . With an essay by Adetokunbo Abiola.
Messina/Musina. Munich: Punctum, 2007. . With a short story by Stacy Hardy, "The Donkey Fuckers", and a conversation between Hugo and Joanna Lehan.
Nollywood. Munich: Prestel, 2009. . With texts by Chris Abani, Stacy Hardy and Zina Saro-Wiwa.
Rwanda 2004: Vestiges of a Genocide. London; Paris: oodee, 2011. . Edition of 500 copies. With an essay by Linda Melvern.
Permanent Error. Munich: Prestel, 2011. .
This Must Be The Place: Selected Works. Munich: Prestel, 2012. . With essays by TJ Demos and Aaron Schuman.
J-SEK. London: One League, 2012. Produced by Hugo and Louis Vuitton with an essay by Montle Moorosi.
There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends. London; Paris: oodee, 2012. .
Kin. New York: Aperture, 2014. . With a short story by Ben Okri.
The Journey. Self-published, 2015. Newspaper format.
Flat Noodle Soup Talk. Paris: Bessard, 2016. . Edition of 500 copies. Photographs made in Beijing.
PH&HBA. Pieter Hugo in collaboration with Hood by AIr. 2016. . London: See W.
1994. Munich: Prestel. 2017. . With text by Ashraf Jamal.
Pieter Hugo. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. 2017. Ralf Beil & Uta Ruhkamp (ed.) Munich: Prestel
La Cucaracha. Barcelona: RM, 2019. . With essays by Mario Bellatin and Ashraf Jamal. Edition of 1500 copies.
Books and catalogues
Ewing, William; Nathalie Herschdorfer and Jean-Christophe Blaser. 2005. reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow 2005–2006. New York: Aperture. .
Matt, Gerald et al. 2006. Black, Brown, White: Photography from South Africa. Vienna: Kunsthalle Wien. .
Ewing, William (ed). 2006. Face: The New Photographic Portrait. London: Thames & Hudson. .
Yildiz, Adnan et al. 2007. An Atlas of Events. Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
Hug, Alfonso et al. 2008. The Tropics: Views from the Middle of the Globe. Bielefeld: Kerber. .
Dempsey, Kate (ed). 2008. Presumed Innocence. Lincoln, Massachusetts: DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. .
De Cultura, Área, and Ajuntament de Tarragona (eds). 2009. Pieter Hugo: Selected Works. Tarragona: Tinglado 2. .
Cresci, Mario (ed). 2009. Future Images. Milan: 24 ORE Cultura. .
Blackwell, Lewis. 2009. Photo-wisdom: Master Photographers on Their Art. Auckland: PQ Blackwell. .
Maggia, Filippo et al. 2010. Breaking News: Contemporary Photography from the Middle East and Africa. Milan: Skira. .
Enwezor, Okwui (ed). 2010. Contemporary African Photography from the Walther Collection. Events of the Self: Portraiture and Social Identity. Göttingen: Steidl. .
Celant, Germano and Melissa Harris (eds). 2010. Immagini Inquietanti. Milan: La Triennale di Milano. Exhibition catalogue.
Rubenstein, Bonnie, et al. 2011. Figure + Ground. Contact Photography Festival. Toronto: Scotiabank. 2011 Festival Catalogue.
Ovesen, Solvej Helweg and Katerina Gregos (eds). 2011. The Eye is a Lonely Hunter: Images of Humankind. 4. Fotofestival Mannheim Ludwigshafen. Heidelberg: Kehrer. .
Krifa, Michket and Laura Serani (eds). 2011. For A Sustainable World. Rencontres de Bamako African Photography Biennial, 9th Edition. Arles and Paris: Actes Sud and Institut Français. .
Kemfert, Beate and Christina Leber (eds). 2011. Road Atlas: Street Photography from Helen Levitt to Pieter Hugo. Munich: Hirmer. .
Herschdorfer, Nathalie. 2011. Afterwards: Contemporary Photography Confronting the Past. London: Thames & Hudson. .
Gavin, Francesca. 2011.100 New Artists. London: Laurence King. .
Garb, Tamar. 2011. Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography. Göttingen and London: Steidl and V&A. .
Fabiani, Francesca. 2011. Re-cycle. Strategie per l'architettura, la città e il pianeta. Rome: MAXXI and Elekta. .
Beckmann, Anne-Marie and Freddy Langer. 2011. XL Photography 4: Art Collection. Deutsche Börse. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz. .
Markus Brüderlin (ed.), 2013. Art & Textiles: Fabric as Material and Concept in Modern Art from Klimt to the Present, 2013. Exhibition catalogue. Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz.
Nine Weeks. Cape Town: Stevenson, 2016. . Pieter Hugo in conversation with Hansi Momodu-Gordon.
Jamal, Ashraf. 2017. 'Giants'. In the World: Essays on Contemporary South African Art. Skira: Milan.
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
2004: The Albino Project, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy, 2004; Fabrica Features, Lisbon, Portugal, 2004.
2007: Messina/Musina, Standard Bank Young Artist Award 2007 touring exhibition, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Museum, Port Elizabeth; Durban Art Gallery, Durban; Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 2008
2007: Pieter Hugo: The Hyena & Other Men, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2008; Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Herzliya, Israel, 2010; Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland, 2010; Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2012
2008: Nollywood, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2008; Australian Center for Photography, Sydney, Australia, 2009; Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, 2010;
2008: Portraits, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK, 2008; Ffotogallery, Cardiff, UK, 2008
2008: Pieter Hugo: Selected Works, Tinglado 2, Tarragona, Spain, 2008 Tinglado 2, Tarragona, Spain, 2009.
2010: On Reality and Other Stories, Le château d'eau, pôle photographique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France, 2010; Forest Centre Culturel, BRASS, Brussels, Belgium, 2010
2010: Permanent Error, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada, 2011;
2013: This must be the place – Selected works 2003–2012, Museum Ludwig, Budapest
2015: Portraits: From the unsaid to the un-dead, Institute of Contemporary Art Indian Ocean, Mauritius
2015: In Focus, National Portrait Gallery, London
2015–2016: Fondation Cartier-Bresson, Paris, 2015;
2017: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany.
2017: Verisimilar Worlds: The West African Works 2005–2010, Organ Vida International Photography Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia.
2017–2018: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Dortmund, Germany,2017; Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal, 2018.
2018: Aquí se rompió una taza, Centro Fotográfico Álvarez Bravo, Oaxaca, Mexico
2019: Africa to China, Pékin Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China.
2019–2020: La Cucaracha, Huxley Parlour, London, 2020
Group exhibitions
2010: Life Less Ordinary: Performance and display in South African art, Ffotogallery, Cardiff, Wales
2010: 1910–2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2010: Lie of the Land: Representations of the South African Landscape, Iziko Old Town House Museum,
2010: After A, Photo Notes on South Africa, Atri Reportage Festival, Atri, Italy
2010: Disquieting Images, Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy
2010: Counterlives, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
2011: Figures and Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
2011: For a Sustainable World, African Photography Encounters Bamako, Mali
2011: The Global Contemporary: Art Worlds after 1989, ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany
2011: The Eye is a Lonely Hunter: Images of Humankind, Fotofestival Mannheim Ludwigshafen Heidelberg, Germany
2011: ARS 11, Kiasma, Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
2011: Lens: Fractions of Contemporary Photography and Video in South Africa, Stellenbosch University Art Museum, South Africa
2011: Il corpo metafora di un'esperienza, CIAC Centro Italiano Arte Contemporanea, Foligno, Italy
2011: Contact Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada
2011: Beguiling: The Self and the Subject, Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa; Contact Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada
2011: All Cannibals, Me Collectors Room, Berlin, Germany
2011: Paraty em Foco photography festival, Brazil
2012: Bienal de Fotografía de Lima, Peru
2012: FotoTriennale.dk, Funen, Denmark
2012: Moscow Photobiennale, Moscow Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow
2012: International Art Exhibition, Rwesero Arts Museum, Nyanza, Rwanda
2012: Qui Vive? 3rd Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Moscow
2012: Photography of The Rainbow Nation, Beelden aan Zee, The Hague, the Netherlands
2012: Africa, There and Back, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
2012: Transitions – Social Landscape Project, Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa
2012: Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012, The Photographers' Gallery, London
2012: Distance and Desire: Encounters with the African Archive Part II: Contemporary Reconfigurations, The Walther Collection Project Space, New York City
2013: Nothing to Declare?, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Germany
2013: Landmark: The Fields of Photography, Somerset House, London
2013: Either/Or, Nikolaj Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, Denmark
2013: The Glorious Rise and Fall ... (and so on) 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
2013: Distance and Desire: Encounters with the African Archive, The Walther Collection, Ulm, Germany
2013: Transition: Social Landscape, Rencontres d'Arles festival, Arles, France
2013: Present Tense, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal; Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian – Délégation en France, Paris
2013: Art and Textile: Fabric as Material and Concept in Modern Art from Klimt to the Present, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany
2014: Public Intimacy: Art and Social Life in South Africa at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, USA
2014: Apartheid and After, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2014: Present Tense, Galeria Municipal Almeida Garrett, Porto, Portugal
2014: Here Africa Geneve-Pregny, Switzerland
2014: Animalis, Fundació Forvm per la Fotografia, Tarragona, Spain
2014: T.R.I.P. Travel Routes in Photography, Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
2014: Prospect.3: Notes for Now (P.3), New Orleans Biennial, USA
2015: Prix Pictet: Disorder, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris; Somerset House, London; et al.
2015: I will go there, take me home, Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
2015: Beastly/Tierisch, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
2015: Strange Worlds Foro Boario, Modena, Italy
2016: A Closer Look: Portraits from the Paul G Allen Family Collection, Pivot Art + Culture, Allen Institute, Seattle, USA
2016: Regarding Africa: Contemporary Art and Afro-Futurism, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel
2017: Lavoro in Movimento/Work in Motion, MAST Foundation, Bologna
2017: Good Hope. South Africa and The Netherlands from 1600, Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands
2017: 10 Years Old 2007–2017: A History of the World Told Through the Images of the Fondazione Cassa, di Risparmio di Modena Collection, Fondazione Fotografia Modena, Foro Boario, Italy
2017: Up to Now. Fabrica Photography, Fondazione Palazzo Magnani, Reggio Emilia, Italy as part of Time maps. Memory, archives, future, Fotografia Europea Festival
2017: AFRICA. Telling a world, Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
2017: Dangerous Art, Haifa Museum of Art, Israel
2018: Another Kind of Life: Photography on the Margins, Barbican Art Gallery, London
2018: In This Imperfect Present Moment, Seattle Art Museum, Washington, USA
2018: Troubled Intensions Ahead: Confusing Public and Private, 3rd Beijing Photo Biennial, China
2018: Civilization: The Way We Live Now, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea; Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, China; the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; and the National Museum of Civilization, Marseille, France.
2018: Hacer Noche (Crossing Night), Oaxaca, Mexico
2018: Recent Histories / Contemporary African Photography and Video Art from The Walther Collection, Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2019: Unseen: 35 Years of Collecting Photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2019: Here We Are Today: A View of The World in Photography & Video Art, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany
2019: Crossing Night: Regional Identities x Global Context, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, MI
2019: IncarNations: African Art as Philosophy, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
2020: Through an African Lens: Sub-Saharan Photography from the Museum's Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, Texas
2020: Civilisation, Photography, Now, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland, New Zealand.
2020: Five Stories, One Point of View, MUSAC Collection, Museo de Arte Contermporáneo de Castilla y León, León, Spain.
2020: Allied with Power: African and African Diaspora Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL.
References
External links
1976 births
Living people
Artists from Cape Town
South African photographers
Portrait photographers