An Empirical Voice

Russell Hamilton explores ideas fundamental to identity, religion, culture, and the fallacy of ‘race’, as Hamilton contextualizes his experiences in a clear voice and aesthetics.

The series draws inspiration from Voices from an Empire, a book written by the artist's father, Russell G. Hamilton, first published in 1975. His process involves sewing and stitching, a skill he learned from his mother, and includes vintage fabrics and patterns produced by Vogue, Simplicity, and Butterick in the 1980s and ‘90s.

'Voices from an Empire is the title a book written by my father, Russell G. Hamilton, in which he examines the literary works of Lusophone African writers living in Portugal and Portuguese speaking countries in Africa, with the purpose of giving access to these often overlooked ‘Voices’. It was over the course of the writing of this book that my father and mother gave me and my siblings the opportunity to live abroad, immersing us within different cultures, languages, and peoples.

My father passed away in 2016, while I was living abroad, and this developing-series is my way of expressing my gratitude and honoring his personal influence on me, and the profound influence our familial travels in Africa and Europe have shaped the way I see, live-in, and experience the world.'

Gallery Hours:
Monday- Friday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.