Habib Hajallie

Artist Profile

Habib Hajallie
Artist based in London

Although born in Southeast London, Habib’s Sierra Leonean and Lebanese heritage usually feeds directly into his practice. Through the exploration of ethnic identity; he aims to convey a sense of empowerment to often marginalised ethnic groups. Habibs seeks to start an ongoing discourse confronting socio political issues, specifically with regards to the perception of various demographics as being of lesser humanistic value.

Regularly drawing with pen enables Habib to call upon traditional draughtsmanship techniques, influenced by sketches from the high Renaissance. Using antique texts and maps as the canvases for his works has been a constant within Habib’s practice. This process of bringing new value to often disregarded items creates a cohesion between the concepts behind the work and the aesthetic output. Often using himself or his family members as the subjects of his portraits creates a sense of immediacy apropos to navigating the intersection of his western upbringing and his African culture.