ICYMI: The beauty in found objects

Have you seen Toronto-based contemporary artist Kara Hamilton’s mysterious, graceful and ambitious work in our exhibition Water in Two Colours? Since admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under, you have even more reason to stop by the AGO for a visit to see found objects transformed into stunning pieces of art. Hamilton’s exhibition features works created from reimagining elevator panels and also includes a unique work that combines two crowns – one chosen by Jay-Z for Beyoncé and one for Hamilton’s lost relative – into an exquisite sculpture.

We chatted with Kara to learn more about her inspiration, materials and the Beyoncé connection:

AGO: You trained in architecture but became an artist. Can you tell us about that choice?

Hamilton: My dad was an architect with the spirit of an artist and my mom was a museum enthusiast. I grew up visiting museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, imagining all the possible connections between different disciplines and cultures. Architecture was never a career path for me. Instead, I thought of it as the ultimate Renaissance education.

AGO: What inspired the exhibition’s title?

Hamilton: Water in Two Colours reflects on opposing truths like the invaluable vs. the valueless. For example, in North America we’re seeing monuments coming down because they no longer represent what we value as a society. In this exhibition, I explore how to represent contradictions and how we attribute value.

AGO: Tell us the story behind the work Crown for Ina after Beyoncé.

Hamilton: It’s actually two pieces coming together – one crown I made years ago that Jay-Z chose for Beyoncé but never picked up and another crown in honour of my mom's sister, whom I never met. I combined these two to create something new.

AGO: What inspired the artwork Mother tongue (whale)?

Hamilton: While making works for this exhibition, after a hard and discouraging day of hammering, I drove up the St. Lawrence River to be near the whales and realized that a sculpture I made earlier was the size of a whale tongue. From there everything came together and I titled the work Mother tongue (whale).

AGO: You often feature found objects in your art practice. Do you have a favourite place to source items?

Hamilton: In Toronto, I’m friends with a person who works with scrap metal. He calls me whenever he gets something good. That’s what happened with the works in this show made from brass elevator panels.

AGO: What’s your favourite work at the AGO?

Hamilton: Near Walker Court, there’s a sculpture by Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok called Untitled (group of figures). At first it looks like a rough-cut piece of soapstone, but if you look closer you’ll see faces emerge, almost indistinguishable from the stone itself. It’s perfect.

Kara Hamilton: Water in Two Colours is on view now on Level 4 of the Vivian & David Campbell Centre for Contemporary Art.

Admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under. For more information, please visit the website.

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