The Distil Ennui Studio

The Distil Ennui Studio® was formed in 1990 by British artist Alexander James Hamilton. Since its founding, the studio has operated as a nomadic, research-led practice, relocating across the Asia Pacific, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean Rim, Europe, Russia and Siberia. Each location has generated new bodies of work, developed in direct dialogue with place, and exhibited internationally in galleries, museums and site-specific contexts. Works produced through the studio are created underwater using analogue cameras and are presented as shot, without post-production. The studio functions as both a production environment and a long-term cultural laboratory, supporting projects that intersect photography, light, sculpture, installation, material research and environmental inquiry. Distil Ennui® — to extract the essence and beauty of life to appease world weariness. In 2014, Russian academic and President of AICA Russia, Andrei Tolstoy, wrote: “The consistency of his artistic vision is one of the most remarkable things about Alexander James. Having discovered his voice in the late eighties, he has devoted himself to articulating it with the lifelong self-discipline of a medieval monk. In our publicity-chasing era, such conviction commands respect. He is an oak tree in the landscape of contemporary art.” Distil Ennui Studio collaborates with curators, writers, journalists, galleries, museums and research-led institutions on exhibitions, publications and long-form cultural projects. CVs, proposals and collaboration enquiries are welcomed via studio@distilennui.com