HAMMERMANIA™​​

From a young age, I have had a strong appreciation for the arts. When I was 4 years old, I developed a color theory that aligned all the colors with a numeric representative – the darker the color, the higher the number. When I was 6, I worked on a Polaroid invention that would transform the image I was creating in my brain into a real photograph. Before I was able to write on my own, I would dictate short stories about my action figures to my mother, who diligently transcribed them and stored them in a metal recipe box. My mother was a young artist herself, encouraging me while she learned at the same time. In my house, there was a fine line between the category of ‘garbage’ and ‘art project waiting to happen.’

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For me, there are no limitations to creating art – or the ultimate form it may take on. I have worked in as many mediums as I could get my hands on. I have directed Off-Broadway shows, kept poetry in the belly of a piggy bank for ten years, and have painted with anything and everything that elicits color. I’ve sculpted heads onto the sides of mugs and vases and I’ve built chairs that look like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.

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I like bright colors. I like layers. I like lots of things happening at once. I dislike empty space, simplicity and wasted potential.

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I began shooting multiple exposures in high school. I was shooting mostly black and white back then and layering no more than three images on one frame. On a trip to San Francisco, I ran out of film. I decided I would just wind it back to the beginning and shoot the whole roll again. It was my first foray into color film multiples and discovering the possibilities of "long-form multiple exposures".  The images that came out of that first experiment inspired the idea for "city Exposed", honing a representation of what a mental postcard might look like.

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The first showing of "city Exposed" was slated for 2001. In the wake of September 11th, I decided to show "nyc Exposed" instead, for obvious reasons. Since then, I have only exhibited a small selection of "city Exposed" in various group shows. This is the most comprehensive showing of this work to date. In the years since the "nyc Exposed" solo show the work has grown many times beyond the original 23 pictures. Soon I will have an image for each neighborhood in Manhattan.

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Andrew Hammer was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a graduate of NYU, Tisch School of the Arts and has been professionally taking photos for over 20 years. Hammermania Galleries and Studios was founded in 1995. Andrew has had several solo shows in NYC and participated in group shows around the U.S.

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All images on this site are available for purchase. For inquires or commissioned work please contact Andrew Hammer at hammer.mania@gmail.com