Juan 11-17-84

Juan Hamilton’s Juan 11-17-84 is from a series of works that suggest organisms, vessels, and landscapes all at once. These dark bronzes have been compared to the black-glazed pottery of New Mexico’s pueblos, to the “meditation rocks” of Zen gardens, and to the idols of Easter Island. Hamilton’s pieces are built from a metal armature that the artist bends into a shape that pleases him. The armature is then overlaid with fiberglass before being sent to the foundry for bronze casting. The final step involves applying several layers of black lacquer before the piece is wet-sanded (Rose, Juan Hamilton, 1987).

“If you want people to believe in your work, you have to believe in it yourself . . . [My pieces] are like old friends.” Juan Hamilton, 1989