“I enjoy how there is a tension between the transient and the permanent in Pugh’s practice. The surfaces she presents are deliciously tactile. Pugh conveys the forcefulness of nature and the interconnectivity of all living things while sacrificing nothing of intricate detail or intimacy in her practice. It is as if the artist can immerse herself in the midst of nature and then tell its stories through the act of art making.”

“Pugh’s enigmatic works feel familiar and their universal shapes have their roots in our primeval past. Timeless, powerful and often deeply moving, they remind us not to lose sight of the majesty of the natural world and that we are in fact, its subject.”

Pugh not only draws inspiration from nature but borrows from science too. Experimenting with a wide range of mediums and processes, from unconventional methods of mark-making using incense sticks, soldering irons, chemicals and light, to the more conventional pen and ink, she explores the spiritual and scientific, the material and the immaterial. Though abstract, her works are based on forms and patterns found in nature, such as the Fibonacci spiral and von Kármán vortices.

Pugh says: “I am intrigued by the underlying mathematical rules that govern nature. How the movement and growth patterns within nature repeat themselves throughout the natural world from a micro to a macro scale.

“I am interested in the intersection where science and the spiritual converge, and scientific imagery from spiralling galaxies and the surface of Jupiter to Fibonacci spirals in a sunflower seed head or the dendrite-like branches in a mycelium root system.”

You can see ‘Patterns of Consequence’ at Galerie Isa in Mumbai until March 15. Pugh’s works will also be presented at The Winter Show in New York City from 20-29 January and Tefaf Maastricht from 11-19 March.

Pugh adds: “I have had two solo shows in two years, so this year ahead is going to be all about creative replenishment and experimentation.”

We can’t wait to see what that inspires.