Pop Hop Artist Showcase: Hannah Hahn
Next up on our Pop Hop Artist Showcase is the vibrant artist Hannah Hahn!
Made in America by Hannah Hahn
Here's some more about Hannah in her own words:
My name is Hannah Hahn, and I’m a student almost finished with an art education and history degree over at UTC, with a passion for paint and what it can do. I come from a family of engineers, and I sense my methodical and conceptual thinking has had to become different from what I grew up being taught.
To an extent, I was allowed expression. This is especially so being in a city like I am in now. Chattanooga has been a place of growth for me, and I hope my art can show that somehow. I have merged and thrown away old and new thoughts as they come and go, displacing myself with every step I take and every piece of art I make, to a new place of self-recognition. In other words, I evolve constantly and optimistically, so does my work.
I hope that it can bring joy to people that they did not previously have.
1. How did you start creating art?
I started creating art when I was a child, but started delving into the fine arts when I hit my teen years. I’ve always been lucky enough to be able to have lessons from various instructors almost every summer and in school until I came to college, when the real work began.
2. Who is your favorite artist and why?
This may seem strange because of our name similarities, but my favorite artist is Hannah Höch, a German Dadaist. She is one of the originators of photomontage and collage, as well as retaining the active reputation of placing female artists in the professional exhibition rink. She was not shy in pushing political pieces and ideas that people didn’t necessarily share in everyday conversation. Her agenda was to penetrate the political realm through art and an inspiration initiative, which I think she achieved.
Lupi by Hannah Hahn
3. Do you have any interesting or funny stories you'd like to share?
I would say that something kind of funny is that I cried when I saw Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling in person for the first time. I didn’t bawl or anything but a few tears were shed. Oh, and his David sculpture. I would say that’s relevant because as an artist, I know I can appreciate art, but if as an artist, I could evoke emotions like that in someone else, I would consider that a job well done.
4. What is your favorite tool you use to create your art?
My hands. I don’t mean that to sound cheeky but to me the feeling of the paint on my skin and having the stuff under my fingernails is exciting. I’m not just talking about finger painting but mixed media manipulation. If I can manipulate the media into what I want with my hands instead of just a brush or palette knife, there is nothing better. There is something truly organically beautiful about making art with your body and extremities versus through extra tools, despite the beauty that comes from both, apart or together.
5. What inspires you?
I am inspired by people and their actions, as well as my own, whether those actions be in the past, present, or future. I like to think about human nature, both the evils and good that resides within us, and how to make art that would appeal to our best parts. I don’t mean that my art has to be effervescently happy or bright, but that it invokes some thought in the viewer about their role in society, whatever that may be, and how to better it.
