About
Thank you for visiting the Distil Ennui store, my name is Alexander James Hamilton and I am an artist. Here you will find a selection of original works spanning four decades of studio practice, here I also include objects that I choose to live with every day. Every stage of production is processed by hand in the studio using only natural or recycled materials and always created in an environmentally friendly way.
As an artist I believe it is my role to make the concerns of art relevant to society at large, a crucial means for turning thinking into doing in the world. My practice is deeply rooted & engaged within cultural and environmental projects of merit, arts education, circular design and issues of sustainability.
In 1990 I founded the Distil Ennui Studio™, since that time every year the studio offers a fully supported artist residency program. The program focusses particularly on repurposing materials found close at hand and how artists can make their own materials through long forgotten renaissance skills. Each year the residency includes public design & recycling workshops, artist talks & museum standard public exhibitions. Resident artists must commit to two days voluntary work a week as part of the program to help engage in direct community work such as restoring a culturally significant building, or artwork.
So far the artist residency program has supported over 450 artists, allowing them to focus & develop their process within the extraordinary studio environments I have created around around the world including ‘Red October’ just metres from the Kremlin in Moscow back in 2014, in 2019 I opened ‘Dark Vat’ in a disused photographic paper factory that had been closed since the 70's, and 'Makers Place' in 2021, Baa Atol, Maldives. These projects are to this date having a continued seismic effect on the cultural landscape.
Recent projects include… in 2020 for ‘Renaciendo’ where I worked tirelessly to re-open the last baroque Carmelita Convent in Spain still standing that had been abandoned for over 150 years returning it back to use for the community. Prof. Javier Poyatos Sebastián, Professor of Culture at the University of Valencia wrote ‘Creative Ruralism’ documenting the impact & importance of the project that stands as a testament to cultural regeneration.
In 2021, I donated twenty framed ‘Visions from the shoreline’ artworks to help fund ‘Makers Place’ the first ever carbon neutral single use plastic & aluminium recycling facility to become fully operational in the Maldives. For the project I designed every element from the ground up including the machines and a closed loop wash station vastly reducing water consumption and unique to this island based facility. My work in particular references a deep commitment to environmental projects that you can explore here.
If you would like to explore past exhibitions & projects then please visit the Distil Ennui™ website www.DistilEnnui.com or the well documented journal at www.DistilEnnui.com/Journal.
BIOGRAPHY
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Alexander James Hamilton
Born 1967, London
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (selected)
08-2021 – 'Drink Less' sculpture exhibition made from island cleanup interventions.
07-2020 – 'Renaciendo', derelict Baroque Carmelite convent dating from 1688.
05-2019 – 'Breaking the plastic habit' public installation climate week; Canary Wharf, London.
05-2018 – 'Visions from the shoreline' Dellasposa Gallery, London.
08-2017 – 'Death of the dream' Dellasposa Gallery, 93 Piccadilly, London.
05-2017 – 'All icons are false' D-Contemporary Gallery, London.
05-2016 – 'The illusion of oil' Ekaterinburg, Russia.
01-2015 – 'Oil + Water' IX sculptural works installed in the forests of Siberia.
10-2014 – 'Vanitas' Cafe Royal, London.
04-2014 – 'Rastvorennaya Pechal' Triumph Gallery, Moscow.
04-2013 – 'Intersection' London.
05-2012 – 'A beautiful announcement of death' PA&G Gallery, London.
05-2010 – ‘Taxi’ Ann330 Gallery, Los Angeles.
04-2010 – ‘Tokyo Green’ Conningsby Gallery, London.
09-2009 – ‘Space & Time’ London.
01-2008 – ‘Working Water’ RCP Gallery, Sydney.
09-2006 – ‘Flight' The Boiler House, Shanghai.
11-2004 – ‘Shift’ 109 Building, Shibuya, Tokyo.
08-2003 – ‘No Logo’ Maison Bastille, Paris.
08-2002 – ‘The Colour Candy’ G & A Gallery, Sydney.
09-2000 – 'Flesh & Foliage' Loft 56, New York.
07-1999 – 'Liquid Mechanics' 18 installations mapping endangered streams.
01-1996 – 'Defluxio' deviation plinths installed in Los Angeles floodwater causeway, USA.
12-1995 – 'Dreams walking past' guerrilla exhibition installation Fifth Avenue, New York.
02-1990 – ‘Flight’ London.
09-1987 – 'Parking For Free' guerrilla exhibition, Canal Street, New York car park across 3 levels.
02-1986 – 'Intervened' 20 installation works mapping Caribbean endangered reef hotspots.
07-1985 – 'Under the surface' tourisms effect offshore. National Pantheon, Dominican Republic.
GROUP SHOWS (selected)
01-2021 – 'Objects & Structures' Dark Vat collaboration, Russian Academy Of Science.
05-2019 – 'Dark Vat' re-purposing a disused photographic paper factory in, Siberia.
09-2018 – 'Site Unseen' Dellasposa Gallery, London.
09-2017 – 'Contemporary Still Life' City of London Guildhall, London.
05-2017 – 'Ars Moriendi' Dellasposa Gallery, London.
02-2017 – Museum of Contemporary Art 'Vanitas'. Four Domes Pavilion, Warsaw.
05-2016 - 'Still Life' Bohuslans Museum, Sweden.
04-2016 - 'Reinvigorating the still life' Konsthallen Bohuslän Museum, Sweden.
06-2015 – 'Natre Morte' Hå Gamle Prestegard Museum exhibition, Stavanger, Norway.
12-2011 – ‘Iconoclasts’ Lloyds Club, London.
10-2011 – 'The House Of The Nobleman', London.
06-2011 – ‘Still Even’ Pertwee Anderson & Gold Gallery, London.
10-2010 – ‘You Are Here’ Flaere Gallery, London.
PROJECTS (selected)
04-2024 – 'Designing A Circular Future' 3 day design workshop University of Valencia.
01-2024 - The Underwater Image Library for Licensing, a catalogue of 4 decades image making.
10-2022 – 'Waste to Wealth' one week plastic & aluminium studio based recycling workshop.
02-2022 – NFC art authentication offering uncompromising studio provenance verification.
12-2021 - Siberian winter studio relocation to complete unfinished works from 'Oil + Water'.
05-2021 - Design & install a plastic & aluminium recycling facility, Maldives.
07-2020 - Lighting installation & re-opening of a Baroque Carmelite convent.
05-2019 - Keynote speaker and studio host to the Plastic Free Design Workshop, Siberia.
04-2019 – 'Dark Vat' artist residency 15 artists in a disused photographic paper factory.
01-2019 - Invited as a keynote speaker at Plastic Free Maldives Legacy Workshop.
10-2018 – 20 works donated to fund a community PET & HDPE plastic recycling facility.
02-2018 – Artist residency offered to glassmaker Zachery Cincotta (USA).
10-2017 – Studio relocates Baa Atol, Maldives to create a new works.
10-2016 – Launch of secure legacy authentication through US-Copyright Office & NFC Tags.
01-2016 – Three poetry recital films released from the 2015 artist residency.
07-2015 – Artist residency offered to eight UK based artists.
01-2015 – Studio relocates to the forests of Siberia to create a new body of work 'Oil + Water'.
12-2014 – Artist talk 'Deconstructing Flow Practice' Cafe Royal, London.
09-2014 – Artist residency offered to Russian painter Alex Kuznetsov.
11-2013 – Studio relocates to 'Red October' chocolate factory, Moscow.
03-2012 – 'Tokyo Taxi' a collection of photography & texts (2002 - 2012) published by Merrell.
05-1995 – Fabricated & distributed salt water solar stills to remote island nation inhabitants.
07-1986 – 9 month kayak expedition, Maldives, distributing aluminium can crushers.
BIBLIOGRAPHY (selected)
08-2023 - 'From water to the universe' cymatics & gravitational waves by Paul Carey-Kent.
04-2023 - Conversation with Bob Chaundry founder of Considering Art, recorded in April 2023.
10-2021 - Islanders Magazine regarding science, design & sustainability.
10-2021 - Paradise Magazine 'Makers Place turns rubbish into carbon neutral art in the Maldives'.
08-2021 - In conversation with author Emma Coccioli discussing 'Fusion'.
08-2021 - Paul Carey-Kent writes 'Art into action into art' for FAD.
07-2021 - Distil Ennui Studio launch's 'Makers Place' turning waste into art.
07-2021 - Sustainable Lifestyle Magazine investigate 'Makers Place' recycling studio.
09-2020 - Journalist Jesus de Andres of Neuva Alcarria visits 'Renciendo'.
08-2020 - text by Javier Poyatos Sebastian, professor at the University of Valencia.
05-2019 - Art Critic Oksana Budulak talks about 'Dark Vat'.
04-2019 - Sobaka Magazine visit to meet the artists during the Siberian residency.
04-2019 - Sayan Arts Documentary Film I + Film II both exploring the Dark Vat artist residency.
03-2019 - Documentary film maker Elizaveta Stefankina with her interpretation of 'Dark Vat'
03-2019 - Cultura24 film explore the Dark Vat Studio, Siberia.
11-2018 - In discussion with VoyageLA, California.
02-2018 - Vernon Press, USA publish 'Animae' interviews collated by Emma Coccioli.
08-2017 - Luxury London 'Deep Water' discover the surface tension of water as my playground.
08-2017 - ArtNet How to continue to challenge our understanding of the photographic medium.
08-2017 - The history behind artists working with flag motifs.
05-2017 - interview with ArtNet. How can water be used as a medium?.
02-2017 - artist text 'Studio as laboratory' published in issue 13 AfterNyne Magazine.
12-2016 - Atlas Obscura 'Tokyo Taxi' article by Lauren Young.
07-2016 - article 'The butterfly effect' Christie's International Magazine.
06-2016 – article 'Dancing with butterflies' by Tricia Divets of Private Air Magazine.
05-2016 - 'The great leveller' joins the Donna Spaan art collection
01-2016 – 'Pure Process' a discussion with Philistine Magazine's edition Crista Leonard.
12-2015 – Russia Today TV 'Immersed In Moscow' TV documentary
12-2015 – 'Portrait of an artist' article by Eloise Stevens.
09-2015 – Academic paper 'Chaos In Residence' by Eloise Stephens exploring the artist residency.
08-2015 – interview FOUR Magazine's Arts Editor, Eva Luis Schwatz.
06-2015 – 'OIL + WATER' shortlisted for ‘Environmental photographer of the year 2015’ award.
02-2015 - Interview with Jeff Campagna, Smithsonian Magazine.
01-2015 - Four Magazine 'Malerisch Fotografiert' interview with Arts Editor, Eva-Luise Scharwz.
11-2014 – Interview with Laissez Faire Arts Editor Britt Pflüger 'Ophelia & The Chocolate Factory'.
09-2014 – 'Deutche Welle' EuroMax TV's studio visit to explore the underwater process.
08-2014 - interview with Anna Mcnay, Arts Critic for Studio International discussing Russia.
07-2014 – Billionaire Magazine interview with discussions of Russia.
06-2014 – 'An Englishman in Moscow' arts correspondent, Bric Magazine.
04-2014 – Wall Street International explore 'Rastvoyrennaya Pechal'
04-2014 – ArtDaily an underground studio in Moscow to create works from within Russia.
04-2014 – Studio visit & interview with Arts Editor Dana Gorshkova of BURO 247.
03-2014 – critical text by professor Andrei Tolstoy for the exhibition 'Rastvorennaya Pechal'.
03-2014 - RPS, 'the first British artist in 30 years to prepare like this within Russia'.
02-2014 – Interview on Voice Of Russia Radio, London.
01-2014 – interview discussing my relocation to The Red October Studio, Russia.
11-2013 – interview with Blouin Arts, Moscow Arts Editor, Nastassia Astrasheuskaya.
10-2013 – Thames & Hudson publish 'Natre Morte' with texts by Dr Michael Petry.
08-2013 – interview with Moscow Times, Arts & Culture Editor Garrison Golubock 'Art & Russia'.
05-2013 - The Positive Arts whats 'Behind the art'.
05-2013 - interview with Charlotte Simmonds of New Statesman 'Painting with light'.
04-2013 – Aestetica Magazine explore the exhibition 'Intersection'
03-2013 – Article by Bob Chaundry, Arts Editor of the Huffington Post.
01-2013 – 'Dead Or Alive' Gavin Lucas, Editor of Creative Review deconstructs 'Glass'.
12-2012 – Sunday Telegraph Newspaper, 'Panorama In The Arts' Section explores 'Glass'.
03-2012 – 'Tokyo Taxi' a collection of photography & texts (1988 - 2012) published by Merrell.
09-2010 – AOP Association Of Photographers IMAGE Magazine; cover article exploring 'Fusion'.
06-2010 – academic text by John Routledge 'Fusion'.
03-2010 - LA TIMES magazine publish 'Tokyo Taxi'.
08-2009 - Creative Review publish a monograph book on 'Tokyo Taxi'.
02-2009 - DIF Magazine publish 'Tokyo Taxi'.
MEDIA LINKS (selected)
10-2023 - 'From water to the universe' cymatics & gravitational waves by Paul Carey-Kent.
08-2021 - Illustrated paper in conversation with author Emma Coccioli exploring 'Fusion'.
04-2019 - Sayan Arts Documentary Film I + Film II both exploring the Dark Vat artist residency.
03-2019 - Cultura24 meets the artists of the Dark Vat Artist Residency.
02-2017 - 'Studio as laboratory' published in issue 13 AfterNyne Magazine.
01-2016 – Artist residency film 'Shifting Parameters' released.
01-2016 – Artist residency film 'Water Light' released.
12-2015 – RTV Television Documentary 'Immersed in Moscow'.
05-2014 - BURO24 Arts Critic visits the studio of Rastvorennaya Pechal.
04-2014 – M24 Television interview ‘Rastvorennaya Pechal’ exhibition, Moscow.
02-2014 – Interview on Voice Of Russia Radio, London.
02-2014 – PRIVET Television interview from inside the ‘Red October’ studio. Moscow.
11-2014 – Interview with Laissez Faire Arts Editor Britt Pflüger 'Ophelia & The Chocolate Factory'.
12-2012 – 'Intersection' Film I, studio, London.
CATALOGUES (selected)
- ‘Transparency of a dream illuminated' 2024 catalogue
- 'Vanitas' 2024 catalogue
- 'Rastvyrennaya Pechal' 10 year anniversary catalogue
- ‘Cymatic Water & Light’ catalogue
- 'Dark Vat' limited edition book
- PhotoGrams donated to fund a community-led plastic recycling facility for remote island nations
- 'Death of the dream' exhibition catalogue
- 'All icons are false' exhibition catalogue
- 'OIL + WATER' catalogue of available works
- 'Rastvorennaya Pechal' exhibition catalogue (English & Russian text)
- 'Intersection' exhibition catalogue
- 'A beautiful announcement of death' exhibition catalogue
- 'Swarm' catalogue