Tactility and timelessness in Ant Hamlyn’s contemporary sculptures
Ant Hamlyn’s artistic approach reflects a nuanced exploration of human interactions with contemporary life, drawing viewers into an interplay of tactility and visual curiosity. By combining handmade craftsmanship with digital fabrication, Hamlyn crafts sculptures that resonate with anthropomorphic qualities, inviting an emotional engagement that bridges the familiar and the uncanny.
His creations are infused with a delicate balance of hard and soft elements, skillfully manipulating material contrasts to produce tactile surprises that capture the observer’s attention. This fusion of textures and forms not only adds depth to his work but also introduces a layer of ambiguity, urging audiences to question their initial perceptions.
The conceptual underpinnings of Ant Hamlyn’s work find inspiration in themes of nostalgia, preservation, and the illusion of permanence. Echoing the gentle process of flower pressing, his sculptures capture moments that seem to resist the passage of time, encapsulated within his meticulously constructed forms.
These pieces feel like relics from an alternate reality—familiar, yet imbued with an enigmatic quality that blurs the boundaries between the everyday and the surreal. This element of preservation is embodied in his work through a deliberate process of pressing, displaying, and boxing, adding layers of meaning and heightening the sense of capturing fleeting moments.
Operating predominantly from his West London studio, Hamlyn’s practice emphasizes the importance of hand-sewn craftsmanship, with most pieces painstakingly assembled through intricate stitching. This attention to material detail accentuates his works’ tactile quality and highlights his commitment to marrying physicality with conceptual depth.
Despite the labor-intensive nature of this process, his sculptures maintain an air of spontaneity, blending meticulous handwork with an intuitive sense of form. In the context of his larger kinetic installations, this craftsmanship is scaled to create immersive experiences that amplify his artistic message, inviting viewers to engage with his creations in new and unexpected ways.
Ant Hamlyn’s work also delves into the concept of temporality, challenging perceptions of time by framing each piece within a space of suspended animation. His artworks feel as though they are caught between moments, caught in a state of perpetual preservation that defies the passage of time.
The viewer is drawn into this liminal space, experiencing the blend of familiarity and mystery, where recognizable elements coexist with unexpected surprises. This balance of relatability and obscurity not only defines his sculptures but also speaks to a broader commentary on how we perceive, preserve, and ultimately engage with the present moment.
All images courtesy of Ant Hamlyn, shared with permission
