HASANI CANNON

I develop mixed media portraits that are wrought from physical and social environments. Identity and its malleability is the central consideration of my work serving both as inspiration and subject matter. 

I draw upon social experiences and my personal background, developing and inserting lived experiences into multiple roles and situations that analyze and react to social institutions, events, and popular culture. I reference my lost African heritage and culture as the foundation of my work; it serves as a central coordinate of my Black identity. Along with using Afrocentric imagery and other cultural markers, I’ve developed a relationship with found material to accentuate identity, mainly in its commodification, and to further emphasize its conversion..

Through the transformation of the material, Black identity’s finality is questioned. The recycled material gains evolves a new recognition, similar to the evolution of the Black identity throughout history, and both are viewed through the lense of material consumption.

My work is heavily informed by artists exploring identity and materiality like Bisa Butler, El Anatsu, Nick Cave, etc. . I’ve adopted a similar methodology from their works to fit within the visual interests of contemporary art.