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Idris Hassan is a photographer and cultural documentarian working in Oakland, CA and throughout the Bay Area. She is a graduate of Cal State East Bay and Naropa University with a Masters in Liberal Arts.
Hassan’s work explores the deep context between the subjects and their environment, incorporating the themes of healing, belonging, and an exploration of the Diaspora. With an archive of twenty plus years of work, Hassan has traveled abroad capturing the visual essence of various communities. While transitioning from 35mm photography to digital, Idris began to incorporate collage mixed media works into her portfolio. Before working in visual media, Idris held a career as an entertainment journalist, contributing to various national publications such as VIBE and Rap Sheet. During a recent residency with Green Olive Arts in Morocco, Africa, she produced a mixed media series entitled “From Kemet to Cotton: Sankofa”, which explores the connection between the ancient African civilization of Kemet and the enslaved African’s history with the currency known as cotton. |
“The camera gave me an incredible freedom. It gave me the ability to parade through the world and look at people and things very, very closely.” - |
Her photography, mixed media, and collage work have been featured in the “Black Artists on Art” Legacy Exhibit at Oakstop Gallery, the Annual “Art of Living Black” Exhibition at the Richmond Art Center, the “Oakland Women's Day” exhibition at Betti Ono Gallery, Afro Solo's "Reflecting the Light Series" at the San Francisco Public Library, and at various exhibitions in the Bay Area. Ms. Hassan's work has also been featured in the Summer 2015 issue of “African Voices”, a Collection of Soulful Art and Literature. In 2018 her photography was featured in “Photoville” in Brooklyn, NY and in 2019 at Photoville: LA as part of the exhibition “Alter: Prayer, Ritual, Offerings” curated by Women Photographers of the African Diaspora. In 2020 she was a featured artist in "Don't Shoot: An Opus to the Opulence of Blackness" at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. Idris Hassan is a documentarian and participating artist in the annual "Black Woman is God Exhibition".
In 2021 Hassan's digital art collage about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color entitled "Masks Sold Here" is featured in the "Art of the African Diaspora" online exhibition hosted by the Richmond Art Center. Most recently Idris Hassan serves as the co-editor, photographer, and co-publisher of a documentary book project entitled "2020: The COVID Rebellions" to be released in 2021. The project was made possible by a grant from the Akonadi Foundation. Hassan also hosts a workshop entitled "African Diasporic Art and Healing", which introduces audience members to the importance of African American art and using artistic expression as a tool for healing and social transformation in the African Diaspora.
Contact: IdrisHassan@ChocolateBeatsMedia.com / IdrisHassanArt@gmail.com
In 2021 Hassan's digital art collage about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color entitled "Masks Sold Here" is featured in the "Art of the African Diaspora" online exhibition hosted by the Richmond Art Center. Most recently Idris Hassan serves as the co-editor, photographer, and co-publisher of a documentary book project entitled "2020: The COVID Rebellions" to be released in 2021. The project was made possible by a grant from the Akonadi Foundation. Hassan also hosts a workshop entitled "African Diasporic Art and Healing", which introduces audience members to the importance of African American art and using artistic expression as a tool for healing and social transformation in the African Diaspora.
Contact: IdrisHassan@ChocolateBeatsMedia.com / IdrisHassanArt@gmail.com
