{"id":538243,"date":"2026-06-16T16:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/538243\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:04:15","slug":"ant-hamlyn-taps-into-the-optimism-of-y2k-in-squished-floral-sculptures-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/538243\/","title":{"rendered":"Ant Hamlyn Taps into the Optimism of Y2K in Squished Floral Sculptures \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Glossy, synthetic, and very compressed, Ant Hamlyn<\/a>\u2019s botanicals are unlike anything you\u2019d find in nature. He taps into the aesthetic of Y2K and the early 2000s, when early computer graphics, sci-fi, and teen punk melded into a kind of optimistic, tech-forward visual experience. Think early flip phones, polyurethane miniskirts, and Now That\u2019s What I Call Music on CD.<\/p>\n

Better Go South<\/a>, which presents the artist\u2019s current solo exhibition Soft \/\/ Chrome, describes the artist\u2019s approach as \u201ccelebrating our human capacity to find beauty and connection even within the most manufactured environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Pink Daisies\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

Hamlyn\u2019s playful, cartoonish works center around stuffed and squished polyurethane flowers<\/a>, invoking a kind of \u201cliquid metal<\/a>\u201d redux that nods to our past optimism about technology while acknowledging the anxieties that have evolved and continue to grow in the post-digital age.<\/p>\n

See the works by appointment in Stuttgart, and check out more on the artist\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Forget-Me-Nots\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Mushrooms\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 120 \u00d7 35 \u00d7 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Mushrooms\u201d<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cRed Hot Pokers\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Fly Traps\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cDaisy Bouquet\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 75 x 44 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSoft \/\/ Chrome Purple Asters\u201d (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters<\/p>\n

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