Skip to main content

Hannah Wilson

Glasgow
Hannah Wilson (b. 1995, Milton Keynes) currently based in Glasgow.

The starting point for my practice is noticing one small, seemingly insignificant detail while watching a film. These moments are recorded as screenshots, which become drawings, and then a painting. This process of making a painting is an act of removal, I’m not interested in a direct translation of the scene but rather distilling the feeling that captured me in the first place. Figures take up space on the canvas through an often uncomfortable method of cropping. Leaving information out of frame, small details come to the forefront so what remains holds weight. These moments are animated and hint at rich worlds beyond an initial reading - using paint as a way to capture sensation, both in the physical rendering of the material and the potential for an image to stir deep-seated emotions in the viewer.

It may sound obvious, but the fact that they are paintings is significant. My practice is rooted in a deep love and respect for painting, and is fuelled by rigorous research through both material experimentation in the studio and engaging with works in person. My most recent bodies of work portray monolithic male characters, leaning into the interplay of stoic weight and awkward vulnerability through careful composition and thick application of paint. As a trans-masculine person I want to explore what it is to embody masculinity and what it is to fail, in an increasingly hostile climate. I have also explored this idea of failure in relation to building a career as an artist, with blind hope in the face of increasing insurmountability.

Lived Experience

I completed my BA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths University of London in 2016, followed by my MFA at the Glasgow School of Art in 2022.

 

Join Axis

We support artists

Funding, visibility, connection and practical help. 

Membership includes £15 million of Public Liability Insurance!

Axis is an independent charity, funded by our members. 
Become a Member

Axis turns 35 this year

In 2026, we’ll put more than £70,000 directly into artists’ hands.

We support artists with funding, visibility, connection and practical help. 

Membership includes £15 million of Public Liability Insurance!

Axis is an independent charity, funded by our members. 
Learn more