Hanan Seid
Welcome!
My name is Hanan Seid. I came to America when I was six years old, and art became my first language.
A mix of The Simpsons and ESL classes eventually helped me learn English, but in the process, I lost the other languages I once spoke so freely. I still understand them fluently, though speaking them now makes me a bit shy.
These works are dedicated to my parents, who have always supported my creative journey. My father, a tailor and furniture maker, taught me what it means to dream. I grew up surrounded by fabric, the rhythm of scissors, and the steady hum of a sewing machine.
Now, at 30, I'm rediscovering my voice through art, returning to the language that has always been mine.
Acrylic and clay
I create textured acrylic and sculptural clay artwork inspired by faith, culture, nature, and storytelling, transforming canvases into immersive experiences.
My artistic practice centers on mixed-media acrylic paintings enhanced with sculptural clay elements that add texture, depth, and dimension to each piece. I am drawn to creating artwork that invites viewers to slow down and experience the work not only through color and composition, but also through its tactile qualities. By layering acrylic paint with hand-sculpted clay, I transform flat surfaces into dynamic pieces that blur the line between painting and sculpture.
My inspiration comes from faith, nature, architecture, and my Eritrean and Ethiopian heritage. I am especially interested in themes of identity, resilience, beauty, and cultural storytelling, using texture and symbolism to create work that feels both personal and universal. Every piece is handcrafted with intention, allowing the materials themselves to become part of the narrative.
Through my work, I hope to create art that sparks curiosity, encourages reflection, and celebrates the richness of culture and craftsmanship. Whether depicting meaningful places, organic forms, or abstract compositions, my goal is to create immersive pieces that leave a lasting impression and invite viewers to engage with the artwork on multiple levels.
The jabana painting on the easel at home, February 2024.
Notes from the studio
On language
I still understand the languages I spoke as a child. When I try to answer in them, I go quiet. Children who arrive young and learn fast often lose things this way. It happens one word at a time, while you are busy learning new ones. Paint stayed with me. It is the one language I can speak without feeling shy. I have come to think that what feels lost is often waiting to be remembered.
On handwork
My father is a tailor and a furniture maker. I grew up inside the sound of scissors and a sewing machine. Repeating one small motion until your hands know it by heart is its own kind of remembrance. Something made that way holds the hours that went into it. When I press clay into a canvas, those hours become part of what you see.
On whose walls
Most of the women I grew up around will never see themselves on a museum wall. The mother pouring coffee. The aunties dressed in one color at a wedding. The girl who learned English from cartoons. I paint them in the kind of frames once kept for kings and saints. Some of the holiest people who ever lived were never painted at all. They were pouring coffee for someone.
Collecting, commissions, workshops, and exhibitions.
Get in touch