Socials

Dana Hassan

Biography:
Born in Beirut amid civil war and political instability, I still live and work in a city that I love despite everything. It has been my biggest inspiration.
From an early age, I enjoyed art and began drawing as a child. I grew that passion thanks to the encouragement of my school teachers. Even after completing my BA in Business Administration at the American University of Beirut, I resumed my art studies at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) where I completed my BA in Illustration and Comics. Today, I work at the intersection of art and storytelling.
In 2019, I was shortlisted among 15 international artists to help raise awareness on the impacts of disaster and environmental changes on communities at World Bank headquarter-Washington DC. The exhibition was curated from a global call for entries by the World Bank Art Program and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. I was also a second prize winner at The International Festival of Comics in Beirut in 2004.

Statement:

I’ve always looked at art beyond being merely aesthetic but as a powerful force for positive change – especially when it touches on complex subject matters that engage with global communities and make a strong impact.
My artworks capture the universal concerns and aspirations of people and communities, to contribute to peace and reconciliation efforts and inspire a message of hope. Even if drawn from the realm of social and political, they also reflect on my personal experiences and probe questions on complex issues of our time. By reimagining alternate and parallel realities in my artworks, I aim to evoke a sense of universal expression, memory, and emotion in narrating stories that are told to diverse cultures and generations to come.