
Kara Hamilton (b. 1967, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) explores the agency of material using mostly found or discarded matter. She works in a variety of mediums: sculpture, drawing in two and three dimensions, and jewelry. With a background in visual art, design, and architecture, Hamilton’s works live at the intersection of these disciplines, decontextualizing materials and forms in order to create new spatial narratives. She often begins her making process by thinking about design parameters, such as space and utility, and applies these concepts to unexpected materials. As a result, what Hamilton calls “critical decoration” questions what we consider to be intrinsic material value.
Hamilton received her BFA from Concordia University in 1989, her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of British Columbia in 1993, and her MFA from Yale University in 1999. She has exhibited nationally and internationally at spaces such as MKG127, Toronto (2019); Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, Winnipeg (2017); EFA Project Space, New York (2016); Tate Liverpool, Liverpool (2015); Kunstverein Amsterdam, Amsterdam (2014); Front Gallery, Houston (2013); Taut and Tame, Berlin (2013); Salon 94, New York (2012); and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga (2012). In 2018, she had a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario entitled Water in Two Colours. Hamilton is also the co-director of Kunstverein Toronto. She lives and works in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Kara Hamilton
Maximilion L
Maximilion L, 2019
Concrete, steel, sterling silver, pyrite, bone
Kara Hamilton
Guess Thums Up
Guess Thums Up, 2019
Shoe, can, concrete
Kara Hamilton
mediator 6
mediator 6, 2019
Brass
Kara Hamilton
mediator 3
mediator 3, 2019
Brass
Kara Hamilton
mediator 2
mediator 2, 2019
Brass
Kara Hamilton
descendant
descendant, 2019
Wood concrete, wire, tie
Kara Hamilton
frequency
frequency, 2019
Framed works on paper and white gloves
Dimensions variable
Kara Hamilton
utterance 2
utterance 2, 2019
concrete, trumpets, trombone, LED
Kara Hamilton
utterance 1
utterance 1, 2019
concrete, french horn, trumpets, plastic tube, LED
Kara Hamilton
Nothing is Wild
Nothing is Wild, 2019
Wood pallet, broken brass instruments, textiles
Kara Hamilton
Water in two colours
Water in two colours, 2018 - 2019
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
Kara Hamilton
Curtain Wall
Curtain Wall, 2017
Tyndall stone
Kara Hamilton
Gift. Provenance: Unknown
Gift. Provenance: Unknown, 2011
Installation at Salon 94, New York City, New York
Kara Hamilton
Someone Special
Someone Special, 2012
14K gold
Dimensions variable
Kara Hamilton
Speaking Alarms
Speaking Alarms, 2016
Storyboard of found photos