McHugh’s deconstructs the myth of the Marlboro Man through collage and video installation-- a truly American figure, manufactured to represent freedom, manifest destiny, and rugged masculinity-- while simultaneously concealing and coercing a cancerous, addictive product. This recent series is a reflection, a meditation on the western notion of complete power or control over the landscape, exploring the consequences of manifest destiny, and exposing the semiotics of advertising and addiction.

Justin A McHugh lives and works in San Diego, and is a BFA candidate at UCSD. His work often appropriates or assimilates familiar imagery, in ways that cause the viewer to question their preconceived notions of truth and of myth.