Hanan Khan

Artist Bio

Hanan Khan was born in Jeddah, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her work as an interdisciplinary artist influenced her work with multimedia in making sculptures, painting, and collaging. She has exhibited her work in the Mount Holyoke College community, and plans to expand in the neighboring cities soon, and has received support from Mount Holyoke College Frances Perkins Scholar program to help her complete her bachelor degree in Art studio. Her work is visible on: Instagram: @Kanii_23

Artist Statement
I am a mixed media artist who works primarily in assemblage, using a variety of objects to reckon with my multicultural identity. I use googly eyes, dried mushrooms, hair, steel, and moss; broken mirrors, yarn, glass beads, and gauze. These materials are often juxtaposed with carefully quilled paper or meticulously arranged fibers. The youthful playfulness of found objects comes into conversation with mature, detailed crafts- a material representation of the contest between childhood and adulthood.

Both my chosen materials and figural representations communicate themes of an evolving self. A big part of this is my ethnic heritage- that which I was born into which shaped my childhood so intensely. I look to the past, with both my own and that of my ancestors as inspiration to grapple with questions of belonging and identity.

I choose the materials in my work carefully and specifically to represent certain emotions or circumstances that have been a turning point for my self evolution . A huge part of my work represents the different cultures that I have been raised in and a culture that has been lost by my ancestors migrating to another country. As an artist I am trying to connect the many layers of my past, deconstructing, and weaving them together to represent my present. I continue to push the boundaries of what defines my identity in the ever changing circumstances I find myself in. The constant evolution of the continued search for selfhood and the multiple context of my life is visible in my art. While my work is very personal, others with similar experiences will connect with it, and start questioning what places and culture influence their present self?

khan, in the process of paper making