Hadia Hassan

BFA IN VISUAL ARTS, YORK UNIVERSITY

Buried Undergrowth

Buried Undergrowth is a series of paintings I created at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic was occurring worldwide. This worldwide health emergency forced human communities to reverse all manner of communal expressions, i.e., exercise social distancing, avoid physical contact, cancel events, etc. Isolation became the defining character of responsible communities and interaction with nature increased. One of the few activities available for many during this time of separation has been walks in surrounding nature. This series underscores the fact that nature is ubiquitous and completely oblivious to human predicaments. Yet, when forced to strip social constructions, individuals in a community relate most closely to one another via the surrounding nature.

View the exhibition images below

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Hadia Hassan is a Pakistani-Canadian artist and painter working on the connection between nature, culture and memories. Her paintings are heavily influenced by her personal experiences of growing up in Pakistan, US, the Middle East, and Canada. Experiencing life in these culturally different places and traveling extensively through Europe and Asia has brought on a deep appreciation of the diversity of the human condition. The opportunity to experience so many different cultures while moving from place to place has also created a strong desire within her work to seek common elements in communities which create collective identities. This tension between acknowledging diversity and seeking commonality has been productive and instrumental in shaping her paintings.

Website: https://hadiahassan97.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram: @hadiahart