The Two Hanans

Digital Photograph On Canvas

The Two Hanans inspired by Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas was exhibited alongside other incredible artwork by disabled artists in the “Not Born Yesterday, Not Going Away” exhibition curated by Alex Bulmer as part of the CoMotion Festival at the Harbourfront Centre in 2022. The CoMotion Festival, celebrated new ideas and expressions by Deaf and disabled artists in a multidisciplinary program including visual arts, music, performances, digital art, workshops and panel discussions. Not Born Yesterday, Not Going Away celebrated the long history of Deaf and disability art, connecting living artists with their chosen ancestors. It aimed to create across time, honoring those who have shaped our present and moving forward with a strong sense of collective history.  The exhibition ran from April 20th to September 11th, 2022 at the Harbourfront Centre’s West Vitrines.

Artist Statement: As a person who struggles with several physical and mental health issues including tachycardia and OCD induced health anxiety, I am often obsessively monitoring my heart rate, thinking about my heart or undergoing medical heart exams such as ECGs. The sound of my own heart both terrifies me when I’m anxious and reassures me when I am feeling impassioned. In The Two Hanans, I have re-imagined and reconstructed Frida Kahlo’s oil painting, The Two Fridas, with my own self as the subject. One side of the self-portrait features the “light”, bubbly, fun, creative part of my personality while the other half features the “dark” part of me that battles with illness, madness, and disability. Both dualities exist inside me; I am both at the same time. I am both ill and joyful, both Mad and creative, both disabled and hopeful. The binary between illness and wellness is an illusion.