Elisa H. Hamilton | Sightlines
May 3, 2024 - June 2, 2024
A Solo Exhibition
ShowUp is pleased to present Elisa H. Hamilton: Sightlines, a solo exhibition presenting the work of Massachusetts-based artist Elisa Hamilton. This first ShowUp exhibition featuring Hamilton runs from May 3 to June 2, 2024.
All New Art
This entirely new body of work, premiering at ShowUp, features energetic abstract works on paper grounded in Hamilton’s consistent themes: storytelling, connection, and art as an ongoing conversation. These dynamic pieces celebrate color and form as Hamilton summons an intergenerational conversation between her own work and a remarkable piece of family history.
Elisa’s Art Inspo
Hamilton says of her inspiration for the work in the exhibition, “The work that became Sightlines began when I rediscovered a quilt made by my great-grandmother; though she may not have thought of herself as an artist, her work speaks in the language of line and pattern, as mine does today. In this new body of work, I strive to speak back to her - to draw a connection, literally and figuratively, between Big Mama’s work and my own, and between my ancestors and myself.”
Definition of Sightline
Hamilton defines sightline as an uninterrupted line of vision. Through her new collection of work featured at ShowUp, she “endeavors to retrace the unbroken line between my own lived experience and those who came before me… stitched lines, my drawn lines, bloodlines, and my family’s migration lines.”
Dual Exhibitions at ShowUp
Sightlines is on view at ShowUp from May 3 to June 2, 2024, in conjunction with a parallel solo exhibition, On Empathy, featuring the work of New York-based artist Sima I. Schloss. In addition to the opening reception on May 3rd, Hamilton will offer an in-person artist talk and quilt viewing during the month of May. Details forthcoming on ShowUp’s website.
Upcoming Events
An opening reception will be held May 3rd from 5 to 8 pm. The opening is free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome to register via Eventbrite or to come by as part of SoWa’s monthly First Friday event.
About The Artist:
Elisa H. Hamilton (she/her)
is a socially engaged multimedia artist who creates artworks and community-centered programs that emphasize shared spaces and the hopeful examination of our everyday places, objects, and experiences. She holds a BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MA in Civic Media from Emerson College.
Hamilton is a 2023 Brother Thomas Fellow, and she has been recognized by WBUR as one of 25 Artists Of Color Transforming The Cultural Landscape. Her work has been shown locally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions, and she has been the recipient of numerous commissions and grants to create artworks, community projects, and participatory programs. These works include “Jukebox,” a permanent public art commission for the City of Cambridge, and “Sound Lab,” a community-centered participatory art project that was commissioned by The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for inclusion in the exhibition "Listen Hear: The Art of Sound."
Hamilton also has created projects for institutions including ICA Boston, Boston Center for the Arts, The Currier Museum of Art, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Tyler School of Art, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, Now+There, and For Freedoms. Her work is in the collections of Fidelity Investments, Bank of America and CitizenM Hotels.
