Michael McHugh - Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis—the biological process that gives rise to the form and structure of living organisms—serves as a fitting conceptual foundation for Michael McHugh’s latest body of work. Drawing on the literal meaning of the word, "creation of form," McHugh engages with the natural world through a deeply intuitive, research-driven practice that fuses science, imagination, and abstraction.

McHugh’s botanical-based explorations are shaped through extensive research in museums, libraries, and botanical gardens. Rather than focusing solely on the visible, he investigates what lies beneath or beyond the surface—the hidden structures and processes of life. His paintings emerge as layered, collagic compositions of abstracted botanical forms, rendered in vibrant colours and organic configurations that echo the diversity and dynamism of nature.

Studying his biological subjects both in situ and through historical collections, McHugh returns to the studio armed with photographs, sketches, and a mind full of associative imagery. These references become the seeds of immersive, imaginative canvases—personal organic universes teeming with colour, rhythm, and movement. His work invites the viewer to lose themselves in these fantastical terrains, where scientific inquiry meets artistic expression.

In large-scale works like Entwinement (2025), shapes swirl and unfold in fluid synchrony across the canvas. Deep blues, moody greens, and bursts of sharp, radiant colour shift the viewer’s focus from micro detail to macro drama. A single blue form in the lower right quadrant evokes the feel of a looking glass—pulling the viewer inward as if to step inside the world of the painting.

In contrast, Now You See It, Now You Don’t (2025) presents a more contemplative monochromatic environment—equal parts marine landscape and verdant garden. A sense of peace pervades this visual ecosystem, as unfamiliar forms twist and float gently across the canvas, suspended in their own quiet choreography.

However, tranquillity gives way to vibrancy in Concord Symposium (2025), the largest work in the show; here, McHugh unleashes a cacophony of form and colour—each element pulsating with energy. Bold, unexpected palettes collide, and vessel-like shapes appear to dance in a kind of visual symphony. Every inch of the canvas feels alive, as if McHugh has tapped directly into nature’s raw creative force.

Recent research conducted on a trip to London, at the Victoria & Albert Museum has also inspired works such as Woven Anthology (2025) and Cactipod (2025), which feature more structured, vessel-like elements reminiscent of still life compositions. These new forms introduce a domestic intimacy—objects aligned as if on a fantastical mantlepiece, merging botanical abstraction with echoes of art historical tradition.

Building on this concept in Perennial, bold greens ground the composition, while a metallic, vase-like shape anchors the painting. This vessel—lifted directly from McHugh’s museum drawings—echoes the ornate elegance of a Dutch Golden Age floral still life. But the resemblance is fleeting: McHugh’s forms twist and shimmer with a surreal luminosity, hinting at a garden conjured not from reality, but from the artist’s vividly imagined world.

In Morphogenesis, McHugh offers a kaleidoscopic journey into nature’s unseen architectures and boundless creativity. Each work becomes a living ecosystem—a place where the microscopic meets the cosmic, where memory, observation, and invention entwine.