Interview with Rania Abulhasan
BIO
Rania Abulhasan is a Kuwaiti mix media painter and illustrator. Her artwork is strongly influenced by her experience in fashion and product design: she emphasizes life and movement, using shapes and colours to express her ideas and communicate her message. Her soft delicate work bring a sense of calm and serenity to the viewer.
Professionally working in Art and Design since 1998, Rania finds that her passion for her work, and for sharing her love of beauty, continues to grow. Rania holds a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from The New School at Parsons School of Art and Design, Paris & New York. She majored in Fashion Design while minored in Product Design at Parsons. Her passion for art and design continued so she attended a fine arts program and gained a degree at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Throughout her studies, Rania worked with many influential artists and designers in New York, Paris and Milan.
ABOUT
Today, Rania paints in her studio and collaborates with various creatives and curators to showcase her work worldwide. Her work is mostly commission based. You can also acquire her work by order from her seasonal collections. She releases 2-3 series yearly. They are inspired by the rhythm and spaces that compromise her everyday, she translates her environment onto canvas or paper in a way that distills its essence, simplifying her surroundings before rebuilding them with new attention. Wether observing and interpreting a movement in a city, season, surrounding neighbourhoods or people. Her work is rooted in a process of tactile discovery and imaginative exchange between place and paint.
At the core, Rania’s art is an inquiry into the spaces she inhibits. Her work is informed by her embodied experience; combining landscapes while exploring nature, navigating cityscapes and observing the human behaviour with their attire. The result is a contemporary body of work that articulates her world with vibrancy and fresh insight be it landscapes or her signature figures.
How have your experiences in fashion and product design influenced your approach to creating art? Can you provide specific examples of how these disciplines have merged in your work?
It has influenced my work both esthetically and practically through choices of color, materials, composition, technic and subject.
When illustrating my figures I draw inspiration from fashion with attention to fabric, style and body movement. Attention to the surroundings and space in juxtaposition with one another.
When working with landscapes I get inspired by the five senses, 3D forms and how they fall together.
I work staying intouch with emotions and feelings to create my gamme of colors that would relate to the concept that I am sharing the story to through the canvas.
My work consists of figures and nature. Which is where I draw inspiration from.
Art and design are intertwined in my work. One sees both as they experience it in there spaces. I work with both concepts together to create. This might be the reason why my work is well received with designers and creatives.
Reflecting on your journey from Parsons in Paris to New York, how did the different cultural and artistic environments in these cities shape your artistic identity?
Paris is the female and New York was the male. Paris was the romance and culture while New York was the practical and conclusion.
Paris brought my emotions and got me in touch witu history. While New York kept me present and helped me create work that was tangible.
These cities started my work and the cities I lived in after helped form the work and make it what it is today.
I still have a lot to learn and explore. I am thankful for where I am at today and look forward to where this journey will lead me too.
Your work is known for its vibrant colors and dynamic shapes. What is your process for selecting colors and forms when starting a new piece, and how do they contribute to the message you want to convey?
I would with my surroundings and what it shares with me. Currently I am in Cyprus and my work is reflecting the colors and shapes that are around me.
The cities I live in embody the work I produce. I draw inspiration from and helps me create my palette.
The seasons also play a big role.
Creating the colors is the outline for my work. Then comes the actual work which is fast paced and just flows once the game of colors are ready.
Having worked with many influential artists and designers in New York, Paris, and Milan, can you share a particularly impactful experience or lesson learned from these collaborations?
With every artist or design I had the honor to work with I have picked up a lot. It might have influenced me at that moment or more with time. It has been a privilege to have that exposure and be able to grow my portfolio with such great influence. I am thankful to these experiences and look forward to working with many more artist and designers. Sharing and collaborating is something I enjoy doing.
Your first group show in Paris in 1995 was a significant milestone. How do you feel your work has evolved since that initial exhibition?
Yes it was a milestone. It was my first time showing a collection. I had made a series of self portraits which was a great journey of self exploration and getting to know myself closely. That helped build my craft and get me to draw the path that I wanted to take.
You've exhibited in various cities and venues. Do you tailor your exhibitions to the specific cultures or vibes of each location? If so, how?
I usually follow the curators outline and work closely with them to achieve the vision they have and what they expect. I do like to incorporate the cultures and surroundings but that all depends on what the message that is being shared.
My main message is to create and share. I trust the process and work with my curators and the designers to achieve that.
With a diverse background in fine arts, fashion, and product design, what advice would you give to young artists who are trying to find their unique voice in a multidisciplinary field?
The advice would be to be open and accepting. To have confidence and create meaningful work that speaks to its aundience. Working hard usually pays off. Being welcoming to any form or sharing one’s work is also important to grow.
I believe that things happen organically and that you just have to be open to receive. A creative mind can only grow and move when it’s open to change.
I believe strongly in starting and finishing anything by making sure one continues to work and showcase.
Most importantly learning from your surroundings. Every human has something to offer and every location speaks to you in a language. You just need to sit still and listen to give space for growth.
• “Unruffled”
Inspired by the coasts of The Mediterranean from the beaches of Protaras in Cyprus.
These paintings are an exploration in colour, composition and texture.
They balance freedom and risk with compositional intent and have been happy new spaces for ideas to flow and find their way from thought into physical space.
I hope you feel a similar sense of stillness and calm leading you to a meditative state of wonder and possibility while being with them.
These New Works from my Summer ‘23 are a collection of 13 paintings made in 5 series with different mediums, sizes and perspectives. All under the “ Unruffled” Collection.
- 103.5 x 103.5 x 5 cm (framed)// Mix media on primed black canvas (Set of 2)
- 53 x 50 x 5 cm // Mix media on raw canvas (set of 2)
• Title :”Bibi & Co”
- 76 x 76 x 5 cm mix media on raw linen canvas
• “Tranquility”
These paintings are an exploration in colour, composition and textures. They balance freedom and risk with compositional intent and have been happy new spaces for ideas to flow and find their way from thought into physical space. I hope you feel a similar sense of tranquility, calm, wonder and possibility while being with these.
These paintings are an exploration in colour, composition and textures. Exploring tranquility in its purest form. I hope you feel a similar sense of calm and wonder while being with these.
-205 x 127 x 4 cm // Mix media on linen canvas
- 85 x 100 x 5 cm // Mix media on raw linen canvas
• “Tranquility”
These paintings are an exploration in colour, composition and textures. They balance freedom and risk with compositional intent and have been happy new spaces for ideas to flow and find their way from thought into physical space. I hope you feel a similar sense of tranquility, calm, wonder and possibility while being with these.
These paintings are an exploration in colour, composition and textures. Exploring tranquility in its purest form. I hope you feel a similar sense of calm and wonder while being with these.
- 103.5 x 103.5 x 5 cm black frame
