AMIRA NGUYEN-HASOON

Amira Nguyen-Hasoon is an British-Iraqi mixed media artist.  She received a BA (Hons) (2014) from Oxford University in Drawing for Fine Art Practice and a BSc (Hons) (2020) from The Open University in Social Psychology.  She has completed Artist in Residence programs in Manchester NH, and Maitland FL, in the United States, as well as in Wales and Gloucestershire, UK.

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Her work explores narratives within environments, seeking to understand her own personal journey in juxtaposition with her surrounding environment.  This conscious awareness has been the driving motivation within her works and was initially fuelled by a quote from art novelist John Berger: ‘…the way we see things is affected by what we know or believe’.

Hasoon's practice is not merely about visual representation, but also about recording and engaging with specific moments and places.  It embodies a connection with both the tangible world, and the introspective journey of understanding one’s place within it.  This focus on minute details and adaptive perception underscores the essence of Hasoon's work, creating an intimate and reflective visual dialogue that resonates with the intricacies of human experience.

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Hasoon's work results from an awareness that individual cognitive processes lead to adaptive behaviour in response to one's environment.  This adaptive behaviour, influenced by the requisite algorithm, contributes to the shaping of individuals.

While one's perception skews vision, the act of looking is a deliberate choice that helps establish one's place in the world. Hasoon explores this intricate relationship between cognition and environment.  Through her work, she seeks to capture the nuances of adaptive behaviour and the conscious choices embedded in the act of looking.  Whether using traditional drawing mediums or incorporating found materials, her art becomes a dynamic representation of the reciprocity between individual perception and the surrounding world.  Beyond representation, it actively engages as a timestamped record, capturing specific moments in time and place.  The emphasis on real, tangible existence; coupled with a sense of belonging, is integral to her works.  The visual dialogue between Hasoon and her environment is not just a component but the very essence of her practice.

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Hasoon has a natural inclination toward making small, detailed works. She believes these pieces require a different kind of attention, fostering a need to connect with her subject on an intimate and relative level.