Chris Shaw Hughes' 'New Pharaohs - Totem' focuses on the Burj Tower in Dubai. As the tallest building in the world, the development of the tower bares many relations to the construction of the Pyramids at Giza, representative of a modern day monument to the Dubai Oligarchs in the desert. The Burj Tower is used by Chris to represent a more hidden type of trauma that exists on a social level within the tower's poorly paid and socially excluded workforce. Chris' work reminds us of how fragile ou…

Chris Shaw Hughes' 'New Pharaohs - Totem' focuses on the Burj Tower in Dubai. As the tallest building in the world, the development of the tower bares many relations to the construction of the Pyramids at Giza, representative of a modern day monument to the Dubai Oligarchs in the desert. The Burj Tower is used by Chris to represent a more hidden type of trauma that exists on a social level within the tower's poorly paid and socially excluded workforce. Chris' work reminds us of how fragile our relationship to the world we inhabit can be. The drawings themselves are delicate interpretations of how the media and the public deal with conflict, and how these images shape our understanding of the landscape. In 'New Pharaohs - Totem', the conflict is below the surface; hidden in the social interactions that exist in the city. By representing the trauma of the labouring classes in both Dubai and ancient Egypt, Chris draws parallels through time and questions whether technological progress has affected behaviour towards the poorest members of society.

Chris Shaw Hughes completed both his BA and MFA at the University of Brighton (2005-2010) and currently works in Lancing, UK. Through beautifully and painstakingly crafted paintings and drawings, Chris Shaw Hughes documents important geographical terrains and significant historical snapshots that …

Chris Shaw Hughes completed both his BA and MFA at the University of Brighton (2005-2010) and currently works in Lancing, UK. Through beautifully and painstakingly crafted paintings and drawings, Chris Shaw Hughes documents important geographical terrains and significant historical snapshots that are at once both visually arresting and thought provoking. Hughes' drawings inspire us to look again and to look more closely. His highly detailed work captures moments of tension that are often overexposed in the news media, and asks us to reflect on their meaning in greater depth. Chris' practice is heavily engaged with methods of mechanical reproduction- using both photography and carbon paper in his current practice. Although he has previously worked using a diversity of media, the employment of carbon paper has allowed him to investigate a kind of 'negative' aesthetic, seen in the dark serenity of his work. In 2010, Chris Shaw Hughes was selected to be part of the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition, which was shown at the Liverpool Biennial and at the ICA, London.