Lot 27: Sara Hughes Nimda acrylic on gessoed Belgian linen

Sara Hughes Nimda acrylic on gessoed Belgian linen original artist's label affixed verso 800 x 1800mm Sara Hughes investigates relationships between painting and the digital image. She deals with a two dimensional surface and the way that a flat surface can create sensations of space and illusion. She uses optical effects created through computer technology working with computer programmes and paint to create paintings by making links between the handmade and the electronic. Hughes' main studio tool is a computer linked to a sign-writing vinyl cutting machine. Sophisticated abstract patterns are created on sheets of semi-permanent sign writing film. These complex masking sheets are then laid down onto a pristinely gessoed canvas. Once all the masking components are registered and sealed with a coat of gesso, brightly coloured vinyl paint is applied. Once the paint has fully cured, the masking is removed. This precise process results in an immaculate painted surface. Sara Hughes has said that "My paintings uestion our understanding of a world that has become dominated by speed and a desire for information". Nimda explores the idea of a "multiplying environment" in snapshots of visual imagery similar to an infinite piece of data or code. "Cyberspace is not a physical space - there are no co-ordinates of length, height, or depth - and it only exists in time." For the last six years pattern has been an integral part of Hughes painting practice. She is inspired by chinoiserie fabrics, herringbone textiles as well as Optical Art giants such as Victor Vaserely, Bridget Riley, Josef Albers and Frank Stella. Jonathan Organ