Henry Hudson, 1982

Henry Hudson is a contemporary British artist living in London who works across painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation and printmaking. Hudson’s critical practice is expressed through the exploration of various techniques and materials, plasticine, scagliola, oil painting, 3D printing, wax, sand and textiles.

Born to a creative family in 1982 in Bath, Hudson’s father is a British sculptor, and his mother is an American chef. Raised in Yorkshire, Hudson’s professional interest in art emerged in his mid-teens. He studied at Ampleforth College and later received a degree from Central Saint Martins, London, with a BA Honors in 2005.

For the past several years, Hudson has been best known for his distinctive use of plasticine as an artistic medium in the creation of textured paintings. He was initially inspired by School of London artists such as Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach, who were known for their works rendered in thick impasto oil paint. He began using plasticine as an economical way to achieve a similar effect to the densely layered paint. As he developed his practice, he soon discovered the theatrical and expressive qualities peculiar to the medium. This offered him an innovative and exciting way to develop his painterly technique, focus on materiality, and passion for gestural expression. It has remained an evolving staple of Hudson's practice. Recently, he started using plaster and glue as an artistic medium for the first time in his “Scagliola” series, which allows for quicker and less labor-intensive execution compared to his plasticine paintings.

Hudson’s work thematically covers much ground, from exploring social stereotypes to satirizing the madness of contemporary life. His scenes are often theatrical and, at first glance, appear playful, yet this humor masks a darker picture that reveals a grotesque and depraved version of humanity. Scattered throughout the works are references to contemporary political affairs, the idols of consumerism, and obscene products of salacious desire. Hudson depicts a world that, at first glance, seems trapped in the depth of hedonistic excess. However, closer inspection reveals glimpses of hope and reminders of the fundamentals that keep us grounded in a deeper level of reality.