Hammond Jane

Jane Hammond stands as a unique figure in the art world, celebrated for her dynamic approach to the combinatory arts. Born into a world brimming with creativity, she was shaped in a model-maker’s studio where possibilities were endless. Her early life was steeped in the art of making improbable connections among disparate elements, a skill that would define her career as an artist.

Hammond’s work is characterized by her ability to manipulate and recombine images, a process through which she generates new information and uncovers hidden narratives. This practice aligns with the discoveries of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin, who realized the potential of word and image manipulation for revealing insights and predicting outcomes. Through her art, Hammond invites the viewer to explore the unseen, from spectral figures to the untold stories of everyday objects.

A prolific artist, Hammond engages with the medium of photography not as a traditional photographer but as a painter, sculptor, and collagist. Her approach is deeply informed by the photographic form, appreciating the inherent reality and contingency of images. Her work questions the “fictive certainties” of photographs, manipulating them to create believable yet fictional narratives.

Hammond’s art is a conversation with the images she curates. She listens closely with her eyes, allowing images to reveal stories that are both conceptually improbable yet perceptually inevitable. Her juxtapositions collapse time, bringing historical and cultural moments together in single frames that are rich in poetic logic.

Throughout her career, Hammond has continued to challenge the boundaries between reality and fiction, engaging audiences with works that are as believable as they are inventive. Her creative vision has not only enriched the art world but also expanded our understanding of visual narratives and the possibilities within the art of collage and digital imaging.

Chai Wan, 2005