Anthea Hamilton, ‘Athens’

IBID PROJECTS, 210 Cambridge Heath Road, London
21 May – 16 July 2006

Anthea Hamilton transformed familiar objects into what looked like ritualistic or totemic sculptures. I found myself wondering ‘well in this religion what do snooker balls represent of mean?’ Hamilton’s work had a real weightlessness and delicacy to it. The way I walked around the gallery was changed by the floor being sanitized by lots of white tiles covering it and a foot up the wall. It did seem a bit like a bathroom, but I was when I first entered unsure if I was allowed to bring my uncleanness into this especially pure space. I do have a bit of a thing about things you can get in stationary shops, so I especially loved the Olympic rings in cello tape. Transforming, collecting and balancing seem to be very important in Hamilton’s work.