figura 23, Ann Hamilton (born 1956)

This is one of several textile prints that artist Ann Hamilton created as a commission for the Spencer Museum through scanning and digital technology. For “figura 23,” Hamilton shows the bottom half of a “presepio” figure, an object made in 18th-century Italy to be displayed in a public nativity scene. The print draws our attention to the present moment while also evoking the scanned object’s original home, which is both thousands of miles and hundreds of years away from us. This large scale of the images creates a dramatic gesture through a blend of precision and blur.