Meena Hasan (B.1987) Untitled (Shirt)

Meena Hasan (B.1987) Untitled (Shirt) oil and acrylic on panel 50.7 x 40.7cm (19 15/16 x 16in). Footnotes: 'I was using my body as the frame for looking at the world, what it means to be part of a diaspora, and how that affects the way I move through and understand experiences, history, and culture.' A native New Yorker, Meena Hasan has woven a life shaped by constant transit. Her astute observations led her to merge her curiosity and creative impulse to draw on the go. She says, 'Drawing was very much a way to centre and ground myself in different spaces and deal with the alone time that comes with travelling all the time and being away from friends.' Hasan's piece for the auction, 'Untitled (shirt)', belongs to an ongoing series titled 'from life', which traces its origins to the artist's point of view paintings made before graduating from the Yale School of Art. Within these PoV paintings, the artist sustains a hyperawareness of the painting's rectangular form to serve as a bridge between the viewer and the artwork. 'The way I compose my paintings often involves bumping into the edge or activating the edge as an invitation to the world or the self-awareness of itself as a constructed space.' Conceived from observations of clothing or organic block floral objects around the artist, they reflect and mirror her physical and psychological landscapes. In 'Untitled (shirt)', the shirt appears to pulsate against its confines, exuding a figurative quality, while it responds to its own gestures and format. 'I was using my body as the frame for looking at the world, what it means to be part of a diaspora, and how that affects the way I move through and understand experiences, history, and culture,' she says. Amidst moving from New York to Bangladesh and back at a tender age, Hasan fostered a longing to be an artist but did not know how to pursue it. 'I don't have artists in my family, so I didn't understand what it meant to be an artist. I knew it was what I wanted, but I didn't have a concrete idea of how to make that happen.' It was an unexpected win to an artist residency at the American Academy in Rome, Italy in 2010, which cemented her path to her still nascent dream. 'Being there and seeing the lives of more established artists, seeing how they spent their time, was just magnificently helpful.' Hasan's process while creating work is much like a conductor of an orchestra, navigating multiple tempos simultaneously. 'I can speed up and be hyper-productive and slow down—I do both in a span of a week.' Some processes involve pouring and waiting for the colour to dry. On the contrary, drawing possesses a compelling immediacy. Keeping up with different strides in life is something her dual upbringing got her accustomed to early on. Bringing stillness to her process is something the artist mastered skillfully. She uses her surroundings and the momentum of change to inspire new concepts while preserving spaces of rest within her mind. 'When I talk about inspiration through movement, there are places I have spent time at, where I go to in my head when I need to. Especially some places in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As a kid, I spent a lot of time on the roof of my parent's place surrounded by mango trees. That's definitely a space I go to in my head to get clarity and think on my own terms.' Raised in Yorkville on the Upper East Side, the artist spent 13 years of her life at the same school. 'The first artist I met through high school was Heather Hart, who is an amazing installation artist. She changed my life. She let me work with her at her studio for a few years and it was amazing.' Upon reaching her teens, an inner urge to explore the Midwest emerged, ultimately guiding her to Oberlin College in 2009. Her continued curiosity about art led her to spend hours at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. She subsequently pursued her MFA at the Yale College of Art in 2013. 'I was so hungry when I started at Yale. I wanted to learn everything and try as much as possible.' Hasan's time at the Yale School of Art marked a period of prolonged explorations across multiple mediums. 'Materially, formally, things changed a lot at graduate school in a great way. I was able to communicate my ideas in more complicated, immersive ways that were less didactic.' While initially immersed in producing line and ink-based work on paper, the artist gradually embraced the materiality of paint. Ultimately, she unearthed methods to use paint in ways that were reminiscent of textile and drawing techniques. Bonhams is delighted to present this work as part of 'The Asia Edit: Contemporary Art from the South Asian Diaspora', a group of contemporary works uniting artists from mesmerising pockets of South Asia. From New Delhi to Dhaka to Bhutan, it features some of the most sensational names from the subcontinent, including Avijit Halder, Ayesha Kamal Khan, Jasmir Creed, Kirthana Selvaraj, Md Tokon, Meena Hasan, Preetika Rajgariah, Vikram Kushwah, and Zimbiri. Through themes that reclaim one's identity, champion self-acceptance, and seek refuge in daydreams amidst a perpetually transient existence, the works encapsulate the inner conviction that eventually surfaces when one feels like an anomaly within their surroundings. Through personalised interviews and essays, the edit strives to provide each participating artist with the ability to weave a cohesive narrative of their distinct perspective and practice. Shreya Ajmani, a writer who explores the global impact of art from South Asia and its diaspora, has written this text for Bonhams. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing