Hego is a Gadigal/Sydney based multidisciplinary Visual Artist. His work is known for sharing stories and calling people to action with murals, photography, portraiture & documentaries.
His paintings have been exhibited at the Wynne (2025), Archibald (2022) & Mosman (2023) Art Prizes. Hegos photographs have been exhibited at the National Photographic Portrait Prize (2018), National Portrait Gallery and the Bowness photo prize (2018), Monash gallery of Art. In 2007 he was a finalist in Sculpture by the Sea.
He is a co-producer on the 2018 feature documentary film “BLACK ANZAC” (screened SBS & QANTAS) which features his large scale murals of Indigenous service people. In 2014-2015 in the USA, Hegos murals was the subject of the documentary feature film: “Positive Movements” which was filmed in Philadelphia & Baltimore USA, alongside local community groups he collaborated with to create them.
Museums Victoria hold a photograph and a watercolor painting created by him in their permanent collection.
In social media circles, Hego is increasingly known for amplifying everyday moments with single line portraits of people, places & pets.
Artist CV: HEGO
Aka Hugh Snelgrove
Gadigal /Sydney Australia
@_hego & @hegoartshop
Awards/ Exhibitions:
2025 - finalist: Wynne Prize: “Zeitgeist”, Art Gallery of NSW & Regional tour until 2026
2025 - finalist: Waverley Prize: “Joy is a form of resistance: Portrait of Dylan Mooney”, Bondi Pavilion
2024 - finalist: Fisher Ghost Art prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney NSW
2024 - finalist: Paddington Landscape prize: “Parapet”, Redfern
2024 - finalist: Hornsby Art prize: “Tom Nash with Caesar vis a vis portrait with gladioli by george lambert”
2023 - finalist: Mosman Art prize: “Wound up, unwinding”(Self portrait) - Mosman art gallery NSW
2022 - finalist: Archibald Prize: “OA” (Sitter: Reko Rennie) - Art Gallery of NSW
2018 - finalist: MGA Bowness Prize: “Nelson” , Monash Gallery of Art, Melbourne, VIC
2018 - finalist: National Photographic Portrait Prize: “Sudan peace” - National Portrait Gallery, ACT
2007 - finalist: Sculpture by the Sea Prize: Bondi NSW (selected but not exhibited)
Solo/Group Shows:
2024 - “Faces in Flux”, Ambush Gallery, Waterloo, Sydney, NSW
2023 - “HE-GO / BACK!”, Luna studio, Newtown, Sydney, NSW
2023 - “HE-GO / NOW!”, Maysfield gallery/Cardwell Cellars, Abbotsford, VIC
2020- “Double Take”, Easeys, Collingwood. 500 drawings solo exhibition by Hego.
2017 - 5km, Work-Studio, Sydney, NSW (solo exhibition)
Collections:
Public collection Museums Victoria:
2022: 'Bystander Affect', (Item HT 57624), Watercolour painting, Park Hotel Carlton, Melbourne.
2021: 'Sudan Peace', (Item MM 154009), Photograph - Footscray, 2017
Films:
2018 - BLACK ANZAC (documentary feature), SBS & Qantas, Producer & talent - Dir. Tim Anastasi AUS
2015- 2018 - Positive Movements (series), Producer & talent - Dir. Matthew Thorne (filmed in US)
2015 - Miriwoong mob #stoptheforcedclosures (short film) , Dir., talent, artist - dir. Hego AUS
2013 - #MagneticStreetArt (short film) - (Dir. Tim Anastasi, Prod. Hego) AUS
Publications & writing:
2015 - From an artist to a journalist: solidarity, Peter Greste, by Hego, Op-Ed contributor - The Guardian
2015 - Positive power of street Art, by Hego, Author - Reconciliation Australia magazine
Public Artworks / Murals:
2017 -‘Paint this land’ (Music video), Mt Tamborine, QLD (Artist & actor)
2015 - Wheelie wayne #bikesupgunsdown (Positive Movement series) - Baltimore, USA (Artist)
2015 - Positive movement marching band (Positive Movement series)- Philadelphia, USA (Artist)
2015 - Ngarrindjeri Anzacs (Black Anzac series) - Meningie, SA (Artist)
2015 - Frederick Prentice (Black Anzac series) - Redfern, NSW (Artist)
2014 - Fletcher Street Cowboys (Positive Movement series) Philadelphia, USA (Artist)
2014 - Peter Greste (jailed Australian journalist) - Media Entertainment Arts Alliance, NSW (Artist)
2014 - Alfred Cameron Jnr (Black Anzac series) - Redfern, NSW (Artist)
Commercial projects:
2024 - Illustrations for concert “Life so simple: from birth to Death” composer Folmr in Brooklyn NY USA
2021- Album cover for “Disappear” & “Black Water” , client: Braison Cyrus & Steve Earle USA USA
2020- Album cover for Flowerkid debut album “Miss Andry” (role: Artist, client: Warner Music Australia)
2021 - “Inspiring change” book portraits , KWM community impact, client: , illustrator of over 50 portraits for the pro Bono arm of King wood Mallesons, Australia.
INSTAGRAM //
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@_hego
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