Handshake in Hamilton is a group exhibition comprising the work of twelve contemporary arts practitioners. Co-curated by contemporary art collector, Garth O’Brien, and Weasel Gallery Director, Laree Payne, Handshake in Hamilton presents a diverse range of contemporary jewellery from the Handshake6 cohort alongside paintings by Hannah Ireland.
The exhibition name, Handshake in Hamilton, is of course first and foremost an extension of the group’s name. Simultaneously however it has assumed further significance in the context of Covid-19 as the age-old germ-ridden handshake is traded for a less deadly elbow-bump.
Handshake in Hamilton lands at an interesting time when many are craving interaction and engagement following prolonged isolation. Most people enjoy communicating with others, and although language might be the first method to come to mind, visual communication preludes language in most instances. Contemporary jewellery is then of course the perfect extension and communicator of identity.
Jewellers participating in the exhibition are: Amelia Rothwell, Aphra Cheesman, Fran Leitch, Jack Hadley, Macarena Bernal, Mia Straka, Michelle Wilkinson, Nikki Perry, Nina van Duijnhoven, Simon Swale and Susan Videler.