Ant Hamlyn Taps into the Optimism of Y2K in Squished Floral Sculptures

Glossy, synthetic, and very compressed, Ant Hamlyn’s botanicals are unlike anything you’d 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’s What I Call Music on CD.

Better Go South, which presents the artist’s current solo exhibition Soft // Chrome, describes the artist’s approach as “celebrating our human capacity to find beauty and connection even within the most manufactured environments.”

an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Soft // Chrome Pink Daisies” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters

Hamlyn’s playful, cartoonish works center around stuffed and squished polyurethane flowers, invoking a kind of “liquid metal” 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.

See the works by appointment in Stuttgart, and check out more on the artist’s Instagram.

an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Soft // Chrome Forget-Me-Nots” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters
an artwork of cartoonish sculptural mushrooms made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Soft // Chrome Mushrooms” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 120 × 35 × 7 centimeters
a detail of an artwork of cartoonish sculptural mushrooms made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
Detail of “Soft // Chrome Mushrooms”
an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Red Hot Pokers” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters
an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Soft // Chrome Fly Traps” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters
an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Daisy Bouquet” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 75 x 44 x 7 centimeters
an artwork of cartoonish sculptural flowers made of poylurethane that are squished between two panels of Plexiglas
“Soft // Chrome Purple Asters” (2026), hand-sewn metallic fabrics, fiber stuffing, polyurethane-coated fabric, upholstered architectural fiberboard, extruded acrylic, stainless steel fixings, 60 x 40 x 7 centimeters

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Ant Hamlyn Taps into the Optimism of Y2K in Squished Floral Sculptures appeared first on Colossal.

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