Hannah Nahas: A Visual Narrative
Rhode Island-based artist Hannah Nahas explores early forms of storytelling and the archetypes that exist within them. A character’s journey is central to Hannah’s work, and through these visual narratives Hannah conveys deeper messages about the human experience. In this interview, Hannah provides us with a deeper insight into her work and process.
Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
I grew up around a lot of artists and both my parents are artistic in their own respect, so it was constant exposure. My parents owned a restaurant in downtown Providence, RI, and hired mostly RISD students from what I remember. These students really treated me so well and several became my babysitters as well as working for the restaurant. They would take me to their studios and let me work alongside them and teach me about what they were doing. Outside of that, my folks would bring me to all their art shows and enroll me in many other community art programs in the city. Making art was so supported and encouraged from the very beginning of my life, I cannot imagine doing anything else really. The stars seemed to align for me to go down this path and I am really so grateful for all the opportunities and mentorship and support I have received. After high school, I was encouraged to study art, and so I enrolled at Rhode Island College and received my BFA in printmaking.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I am really fascinated by early forms of storytelling and ideas around archetypes. Early storytelling is more concerned with simplified narratives to display a subliminally deeper theme; these tend to be rites of passage. Archetypes are really important keys to storytelling because they help signify where we are in the story and where the character lies in their journey. The concepts of all my work, regardless of the medium, are based on a narrative and illustrate a thematic part of a journey. I think reconciliation of shifting identities is really important. My work tends to follow a human “character” and that perspective of the human experience is necessary for me.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
My work feels as though it is constantly shifting for hundreds of reasons at any given time. Recently I have really taken a step back from 2-Dimensional work to focus on jewelry making. I wanted to see how I could speak to the themes and concepts I was already working on and relate them directly to the body. This has been so exciting because as I wear the work I feel as though I have become the character. Making work relating to the body I am focusing more on archetypal themes rather than narrative-based visual storytelling.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
I work full-time at a local print shop, and so whenever I am not there I am in the studio. I share my studio with a friend from undergrad which is the best thing ever. I really recommend not to work in isolation. On my studio days, I like to go in early and extremely caffeinated and just really work pretty rigorously through whatever series or collection I have going. I plan a lot of my work in advance so once I have all my materials and drafts I can focus just on the making. I think this is advantageous for any process-based practice. I work pretty long hours but that time is really important to me. It’s my “Me Time”.
Writing is also an equally important part of my studio practice as making is. I think that writing really helps me understand what I am trying to say through my work and organize my thoughts better. This in turn, I believe, improves the overall quality of my work.
My studio is, has been and hopefully always will be my happy place. I like to bring good snacks and listen to good music and be in good company so I can create in a happy space. This was a reason I switched recently from primarily drawing with graphite to metalworking; the drawing process was getting pretty monotonous and I really needed to work some new muscles so to speak. My concentration during undergrad was in printmaking so I really missed a process-based medium. My practice will probably always be changing, and this brings me joy to think about. As long as I get to make things I am happy.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
The pandemic was a huge one actually. Prior to the pandemic, I was working as a facilities technician for the art department at Rhode Island College and had full access to the print shop, so printmaking was still my primary medium. However, the school closed due to Covid and I lost complete access to my studio. This was kind of a blessing in disguise I think, because even though I loved working in that space I think it was time I moved into a private studio of my own. I also could not make prints anymore when I moved into my new studio because I no longer had access to those types of facilities. However, getting forced outside of my comfort zone was a good thing. Working with metal and in jewelry has been a fun challenge and very humbling because I have less experience in the process, however, this has allowed for a lot of play and expanded my vision for my future work.
I think another thing that has made a huge impact is just meeting new artists. I have so much to learn, and who better to learn from than other makers. Every artist I meet opens my eyes to a whole new world, and that’s pretty amazing. I am grateful to have been in a position to meet so many different types of artists who all work in so many different mediums.
How has Instagram impacted your art career?
Instagram has been an amazing part of my journey as an artist. I think I really do use the app as a social networking platform. I have met and made close friends with so many wonderful artists around the world because of it. I got to meet a friend in France this past summer who I met on Instagram like 4 years ago! It is such an amazing tool. Recently I have been inspired to change my approach with the app though. A friend of mine told me they like to use the app to build their own world. This really inspired me and I think I am going to move forward giving that a try. I am definitely still going to use the app as a way to connect and network, however, this new perspective is encouraging me to showcase my work in a new way.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
My current goal is to make more work that I can start to really share with an audience. I want to connect with more people through my work and show my work more. It is a little sad to have things stay hidden away in my studio. I am hoping to have an in-person show in 2022.
Follow Hannah on IG: @babeintheunknown