(click image for more details)Untitled (Bimbo), 2007
mixed media
198cm x 259cm x 172cm
Anthea Hamilton's practice is a performative one. Often creating environments in which to stage her work, Hamilton reflects upon the notion of a 'gendered' or 'sensualised' space, with her sculptural compositions making use of differing elements, incorporating ready-made or found objects, ephemera and drawings that highlight particular aesthetic qualities, be they a particular curve, colour, or texture object. Often, forms recognisable as anatomical parts make an appearance, creating a sense that her installations are maybe functioning as 'body doubles', each different versions of the artist acting out a desire for change and other possibilities.
Whilst foregrounding the body as her first point of reference, it is Hamilton's aim for the work to be read as more than just self-portraiture – they are ultimately fictions:
'Sometimes there are more formal concerns like having a work sit in a certain way at a certain scale, and those decisions might be informed by art historical or cultural references, all of that's employed or adopted or appropriated so that I can go on and explore these things on a private level; it's self-positioning in a way – like an apprenticeship perhaps – there's a certain degree of acting out that goes on.'1
Paul Stone, 2008
1. Anthea Hamilton interviewed by Adelaide Bannerman, Axis, Open Frequency, January 2008
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