Hamilton’s work is characterised by a sense of playful irreverence, blurring the boundaries between high and low culture. One of her most famous installations is the 2016 Tate Britain Commission, where she created a life-sized sculpture of a man’s buttocks that visitors could walk through. This work, titled Project for Door (After Gaetano Pesce), was a critique of the traditional classical sculptures that fill museums and the Western obsession with idealised beauty.
Hamilton is also known for her collaborations with fashion designers. In 2018, she created a series of sculptures for London Fashion Week that were inspired by the work of artist René Magritte. Hamilton’s sculptures were placed in the centre of the catwalk and made it a challenge for the models to navigate around the sculptural obstacles as they walked. This collaboration was seen as a statement on the superficiality of the fashion industry and its preoccupation with image over substance.
Hamilton’s work also often addresses issues around race and identity. In 2015, she created a performance art piece titled Kar-a-sutra, which was a response to the absence of black models in the fashion industry. The performance involved models posing in a range of sexualised positions while dressed in skinsuits emblazoned with a range of cultural references.
Despite the often-critical nature of Hamilton’s work, there is also a sense of fun and whimsy to her practice. She has spoken about how her work is inspired by pop culture, particularly the cartoons she watched as a child. This can be seen in her use of bright colors, outlandish forms, and playful sensibility.
Hamilton’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the South London Gallery. In 2018, she was nominated for the Turner Prize for her solo exhibition titled « Lichen! Libido! Chastity! » at the Tate Britain.
In conclusion, Anthea Hamilton is an important contemporary artist who has contributed significantly to the art world. Her work is bold, irreverent, and unapologetic in its critique of power structures, particularly those around race, beauty, and fashion. Hamilton’s artistic practice is a reminder that art can be both serious and playful, and that it can challenge our preconceived ideas about the world around us.