Ann Hamilton

Ann Hamilton’s work includes installations, photographs, videos, performances, and sculptural objects.  These works are often created in collaboration many different volunteers and work forces.  The idea of having people help her with her works and installations gives the works the powerful sense of connection to society and history.  She grew up doing textile works, and moved into other aspects of art.  She sees work as being intertwined with each other, such as with the threads of sheet.  Each piece needs each other to work, as does our art.

A lot of her work uses everyday domestic materials such as books, coins, and furniture.  Her installations use pre-filmed footage, organic materials, and soundtracks combined with everyday objects to make up her works.  As an artist, she is interested in verbal and written language, and with the visual context of her work.  She believes that these ideas are related and interchangeable.  In more of her recent work, Hamilton has begun to exchange different things dealing with bodies for new ones.  She switches parts of bodies around to give them new meaning and to maybe see if they hold their same meaning.  She exchanges one sense organ for another, such as mouth with fingers.  She even has made eyes as miniature pinhole cameras.    

"Work is created through acts of (our) attention” (Ann Hamilton).  The works that we create art are a language and are used for visual context, and these works were part of ourselves.  We use these types of things to try and explain ourselves in our own works.  We put meaning into our works of art, whether it is through physical words or impressions, each work has meaning.  Hamilton’s works teaches us how we rely on our senses, previous works, and most anything else in our life to influence our work.  Ann Hamilton’s work was and is still seen as this, extensions of the body visually and verbally.  

Body Object #18 1987-2006

Comute 1

Untitled 1984-1993

Cuircit #5