Watch now: Hugh Hayden talks through his exhibition 'Huey'

15 July 2021

Hugh Hayden's second New York exhibtion at Lisson Gallery sees the artist chronicle and remix his upbringing in the American South, presenting an all new body of work that examines the American experience via agency, appearance, athletics and religion.

In this film, Hayden takes us into his studio to guide us through these new series of works and the exhibition's layout – its three distinct rooms representing spaces found within a church. He discusses the initial inspirations from his family and childhood on the works, before delving into their wide-ranging external influences including a photograph of Huey P Newton sat in a 'peacock chair', the expectation of apitude for sport on young men, common tropes in children's fairytales, and the significance of the word 'ebony' in American society.