A fitting companion and contradiction to the celebratory exhibitions Wild Spaces, Open Seasons and Caught on Paper, the film Hugh the Hunter engages with contemporary issues of race, class, and the practice of hunting.
Oscar-nominated documentary director Zachary Heinzerling filmed Hugh Hayden, a New York-based sculptor, taking on the persona of the lord of a Scottish estate. Hayden is as much the hunted as the hunter. He uses both literal and metaphorical camouflage in the process of seeking his prey and hiding from predators, mirroring the disguises we all adopt to assimilate into dominant cultures. The film was made when Hayden was the artist-in-residence at the Glennfiditch Distillery in Scotland. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Narrative Short Films category.
Both artists are originally from Texas. Heinzerling lives in Houston and Hayden grew up in Dallas.