Hamja Ahsan
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Hamja Ahsan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 March 1981 London, England |
| Education | Central St. Martins, Chelsea College of Art |
| Notable work | Shy Radicals: Anti-systemic politics of the militant introvert |
| Awards | Grand Prize 2019 Ljubiana Biennial of Graphic Arts |
Hamja Ahsan (born 17 March 1981) is a radical left wing artist, writer, curator and activist. A multi-disciplinary artist, his practice has involved conceptual writing, building archives, performance, video, sound and making zines. His work explores state crime, contemporary Islamophobia, repression of civil liberties under the war on terror, and prison solidarity, among other themes.
Hamja is the author of Shy Radicals: The Antisystemic Politics of the Militant Introvert, published by Book Works in 2017.[1][2][3]
In 2019, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the thirty-third Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts for the artwork "Aspergistan Referendum" based on Shy Radicals.[4] Hamja exhibited work at Documenta fifteen.
Ahsan was born in London in 1981 to Bengali Muslim parents.[citation needed] He grew up in Tooting and Mitcham and attended Graveney Secondary School. In 2005, Hamja attend Central St. Martin's and completed a BA Fine Art, receiving a first. He was taught by Anne Tallentire. He then completed an MA in Critical Writing and Curatorial Practice at Chelsea College of Arts.[citation needed]
Hamja lives and works in London.
Shy Radicals
In 2017, Hamja Ahsan's book Shy Radicals: The Antisystemic Politics of the Militant Introvert was published by Book Works. Shy Radicals is a work of speculative fiction that conjures a new structuring of the world defined by "extrovert supremacy" and a global resistance of shy and introvert activism. Ahsan has described the text as a manifesto for a Black Panther-like party for shy people. The book currently in its fourth edition.[1][2][3]
Hamja has been invited to do readings or teach modules on his work across the United Kingdom, Europe and North America, and the book has been taught in university classes on subjects such as neurodiversity (Brown University) and utopias (Queen Mary University of London.[citation needed]
In 2020, Shy Radicals was adapted into a short film, produced by Ridley Scott's Black Dog Films and directed by Tom Dream.[5]
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