'Cianalas' dye sublimation print on textured aluminium (10 cm x 12.5cm) by Aylsa McHugh

Artwork title: Cianalas
Dimensions: 10cm W x 12.5cm H
Medium: dye sublimation print on textured aluminium
Artist: Aylsa McHugh

Please note: this is a physical item and will only be posted within Australia.

This piece, Cianalas, is the result of my ongoing research into my Scottish heritage.
Cianalas/ (key-an-a-lus) – Is a Scottish Gaelic word which is difficult to translate into
English but can be best described as a deep-seated sense of belonging and longing to
and for the land of your ancestors. As with most Scottish Gaelic words the depth and
beauty of this expression is sadly lost in translation. This inherent sense of longing and
belonging is a theme that runs throughout Scottish literature and folklore. The Scottish
poet Robert Burns succinctly describes an aspect of this feeling in these two lines from his
1789 poem, My Heart's in the Highlands. “My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not
here, My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.” Cianalas is a concept and feeling
understood universally by all diaspora.

Aylsa McHugh lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne (2002), she has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally. Recent exhibitions include Never Keep Both Feet on the Ground, Sarah Scout Presents (2025), Melbourne Now, the National Gallery of Victoria (2023), Numinous, Mary Cherry Contemporary (2023) and Shadowlands, Incinerator Gallery (2021). She has been a finalist in numerous art prizes including The 68th Blake Prize, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (2024), The Acquisitive Print Awards, Geelong Gallery (2021), and The Fisher's Ghost Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre (2021). Recent awards include the Highly Commended Prize at The Sunshine Coast National Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery (2024) People's Choice Prize at the Castlemaine Art Museum's Experimental Print Prize (2024) and the Hero Apartment Building Public Art Commission from the City of Melbourne (2020). Her work is held in the collections of The National Gallery of Victoria, ACMI and The City of Melbourne Collection.

Instagram: aylsa_mchugh
website: https://www.aylsamchugh.com