For Luminous, Aylsa McHugh's series of work is an attempt to represent the ineffable, transient experiences and feelings. These monochrome images capture female figures, some who appear to be dancers, their graceful postures in contrast to the harsh structure of the modernist architecture background. McHugh evokes the supernatural by rendering the bodies transparent, often distorted or levitating in the foreground, they appear as an apparition, a ghostly presence floating, enmeshed within the architecture. The resulting images are haunting—the figures suspended in ‘the act of becoming visible’ reflect a transient state of being, or the liminal space between sleep and waking.
Here, the artist provides a space—disjointed and harmonious—to visualise her subconscious or spiritual realm. Increasingly, we are exploring spiritual philosophies to examine our own beliefs and to make sense of the current moment. McHugh’s images remain deliberately ambiguous allowing the viewer to create their own narrative.
