We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hugh Kirby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hugh below.

Hi Hugh, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

It’s actually a project I’m in the midst of now about artists as entertainers. I’ve explored many art forms over the years, placing myself in situations where I’m at the mercy of an audience. I’m intrigued by what compels people to perform for others and I want to tell their stories, and my own, through photography. When we are gifted and talented, why isn’t it enough for our work to be viewed only by our own eyes? What drives the need to be seen, especially to the hyper extent we see it in today’s world of social media? It’s fascinating to me and I want to document the process of these artists, see their lives on and off stage, to better understand myself and them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a curious person and I’m able to do many things, but at my core I’m an artist. While that word evokes a number of meanings, above all I think an artist is a problem solver. I want to use my talents in this life to bring real change, help others, empower, and educate. That was always important to me as a former art teacher, and it still is today.

I left my teaching position in early 2023 to pursue my creative endeavors full time, with photography being my primary discipline. I am a trained artist with a degree in art education and a wide portfolio that showcases my work. I own two photography businesses: HK Photography (entertainment and fashion) and Kirbee Photography (family and wedding). I pride myself on the quality of my work and timely manner in which I produce it for my clients.

First and foremost I’m a fine art photographer. There’s something about the ability to capture life in an instant that fascinates me. I take the approach of a documentarian with my work, always looking for a story within the shot, and I’m excited about my current series regarding artists in the entertainment industry. There’s so much we have to learn from life, and it’s there if we just look.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2022 I had a gallery exhibition called “The Ambiguous Tale of Norman the Clown.” It was the first series where I expressed my personal struggles with the entertainment industry.

The backstory to this work is complicated and something I’ve kept secret for nearly three years. This is the first time I’ve made a public statement about this but I’m ready to open up about it.

The same year I began my career as a teacher, I also began another career in stand up comedy. My act was a musical performance full of absurdities and honest comments on society and human relationships. At times, I dipped into vulgar themes, much to the amusement of the audience. It was an incredible experience to watch how comedy can unify people, and I was very good at it. I rose very quickly and had the attention of a lot of people promising fame. But my life outside of comedy put me in a difficult situation.

As a teacher I was under a lot of scrutiny. I performed in a different city than the one in which I taught. The last thing I wanted was to run into a parent of one of my students. I lived in fear and it caused me to slowly repress myself.

This created a bitterness in me that began to fester. Within the comedy scene itself there were challenges. At times I felt like an outcast. I was lonely, but that was mostly my fault. I lived such a divided life. No one in comedy even knew my real name. I did that to protect myself and my teaching career.

The anxiety and depression I’d already wrestled with my entire life intensified during this time. I would disappear for months at a time feeling more and more alienated. One day, I had enough. I used my art to fight back.

I started making masks for a photography series about a character I created: a clown called Norman. Clowns represent ambiguity. They can be sad even when their faces are painted happy. I gravitated to this kind of symbolism because of the dual nature of my own situation.

The show debuted in October of 2022 at the Inchoate Art Gallery in Greenville, South Carolina and it was a huge personal success. I was so happy with the turn out and felt people really understood my message.

Norman the Clown was named after Norman Lewis, a 20th century abstract painter from Harlem. He became an abstract artist when he realized it was the only safe way to express himself. I identified with that in my fear to express myself in comedy. He was an enraged man with every reason to be so, and while my own story is very different, I feel connected to him in ways only art can establish. Norman the Clown was my rejection of my self deprecating obsession to pursue fame and all the anxiety that came from wearing a mask I made myself wear.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Simply put, you can in fact teach an old dog new tricks.

What artist hasn’t experienced imposter syndrome? I certainly did (still do sometimes if I’m honest), but I came to art much later in my life than most traditional artists. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I considered art as a career. A therapist recommended trying art therapy, and through that experience I fell in love with the process. I couldn’t stop!

But I often asked myself if it was unwise to start on a new path when my peers were settling into the groove of their own blooming careers. I can say that I’m so glad I did. My life would not be what it is had I listened to myself and the “good sense” of others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hughkirby.com
• Instagram: @huekirbee

Image Credits
Credit: Hugh Kirby (I took these photos and grant permission for their use)