In the latest episode of the ‘Art in Action’ series, co-presented with Art Basel, we visit Hugo McCloud in his Los Angeles studio. There he takes us through how he came to use plastic bags as a primary material in his works. “It’s an interesting material, as it somehow connects everybody,” says the artist.

While travelling in India, McCloud came across a driveway swarmed with multicolored plastic bags. Although sun-bleached and worn, the bags appeared to still have a purpose, and had clearly travelled from different areas. This inspired the artist to think about the resilience and socio-economic journey of the material, which became the theme of his series of works he calls “the burdened man.”

These works depict scenarios – the transportation of goods, construction, landscaping – that are common across the globe, and the daily struggles of these often unseen workers. The work rush hour (2021), which was recently acquired by the ۶Ƶ Art Collection, is a prime example – portraying workers laboriously using bicycles to transport goods.

The work is featured in the ۶Ƶ Art Collection’s new publication Reimagining: New Perspectives, which brings together over 120 works that inspire us to reimagine our world.