Lewis Hammond. Black Milk
Curated by Chiara Nuzzi

Building a path that transforms the architectural space of the foundation and its perception, Black Milk features a selection of 20 paintings by Lewis Hammond (UK, 1987) specifically conceived for this exhibition in late 2024 and 2025. Presented on the ground floor, the works reflect Hammond’s enduring interest in the history of painting and its intersection with faith—understood in its most transformative and social dimensions. Visionary and at times surreal, Hammond’s practice straddles the personal and the collective, drawing on art history and its relationship with faith. Be it esoteric beliefs, faith in others, social or romantic trust, or fear and hope, at the heart of Hammond’s work lies an open question: where does our hope lie today? A sentiment that touches not only intimacy but also social, political, and economic systems. What and whom do we choose to trust? And what does it mean to lose faith—and hope?


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ICA Milano thanks Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, official sponsor of the Foundation and Valsoia for supporting ICA Milano’s program and activities.

Special thanks to Fondazione Sandra and Giancarlo Bonollo and to the galleries Arcadia Missa and 47 Canal for supporting the show Lewis Hammond. Black Milk.

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LEWIS HAMMOND
Lewis Hammond (b. 1987, Wolverhampton, UK) lives and works between London and Berlin. His works examine psychological states influenced by the anxieties of the contemporary world, set against a backdrop of global emergency. Combining art historical references with personal experience, his practice conveys an intensifying sense of collective unease within today’s physical and socio-political landscape. Hammond creates a visual lexicon that interrogates a world in flux, using recurring motifs and layered meanings to challenge singular interpretations. Disoriented figures, mutated bodies, and imaginary landscapes populate his canvases, reflecting themes of anxiety, violence, and the ongoing search for self-identification. Through reimagining Eurocentric art historical references, Hammond constructs a parallel, distorted world that offers sharp insight into current realities.