From Chinese descent and with a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York Hugo’s work has a consistent quiet but graphic quality revealing a postmodernist-inspired soul. Hugo's distinctive aesthetic of serene compositions and saturated colors are omnipresent in his work. Whether applied in documentary street photography or in crafted studio work.
For his latest collaboration, Hugo Yu furthers his iconic still life photographs using only objects in his immediate environment. Each scenario creates a space for accidents to happen which can lead to new ideas that one would have never imagined.
"I passed a kindergarten playground while I was on a run in California. I saw the way the harsh sunlight hit the playground. There were colorful toys, objects, and jungle gyms lying around. It evoked the pure feeling of my childhood. When I began the shoot for IKEA, I tried to bring this feeling into the work. I deconstructed household objects and reassembled them into new configurations. I used direct sunlight to create the same natural feeling that I saw on the playground. I wanted to create the feeling of play using objects that we don’t normally see as playful. Because as any child will tell you, the best toys aren’t toys at all."
