Christopher Hannigan

My work explores the people and experiences I have encountered as a convert to Islam in the American Muslim community. The Islamic community as a whole is one in which figurative art is rare and mostly an object of the past. For a community that is often spoken of, it is one that is also not often seen on their own terms as everyday human beings. Muslims in this country rarely are given the opportunity to show who they are as people and are often prisoners to narratives constructed by outsiders. Through the use of portraiture, color variation and broad brush strokes my work not only depicts people as they look but also how they feel. It is my aim to show them as unique individuals, each with their own story to tell.