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Fine Art

Masah Azar

Fine Art

Final year project

'Growing Pains' [Read more]

'Thursday Night', 2020, Ink on Paper, 841 x 594 mm

Over the past year, I have explored both mine and other people's adolescence with the goal of representing the messiness of 'growing up'. By combining casual interviews with collections of personal photographs, I illustrated snapshots of youth culture to celebrate moments of mania, embarrassment, recklessness, immaturity, and heartbreak. In this image, I depict an average weekend house party in my hometown of Amman, Jordan, and the different bursts of conversations I recall overhearing.

'Body Shot', 2020, Ink and Marker on Paper, 841 x 594 mm - 'Don't Be A Pussy' Series

As a part of this project, I attempted to thread different moments within my life through the use of shared themes and narratives. In this series, I recall two different instances of social discomfort - one where I am at the receiving end, and the other where I am the perpetrator.

'Stick N' Poke', 2020

Ink on Paper, 841 x 594 mm - 'Don't Be A Pussy' Series

'Thinker', 2020, Ink on Paper, 609 x 914 mm - 'Portraits in Isolation' Series

During the lockdown, I decided to experiment with composition and scale and create large self-portraits depicting the mundane activities I indulged in in isolation. Choosing to contrast my pale figure against a stark black backdrop, I drew myself using thin, awkward lines, exaggerating parts of my body that the isolation had made me more self-conscious of. I captured myself in positions that are not conventionally attractive or enticing, filling up the large space with intimate details of my body and facial expressions that the viewer can closely confront and hopefully find themselves in, too.

'Bouncing off the Walls', 2020

Ink on Paper, 609 x 914 mm - 'Portraits in Isolation' Series.

'Supper', 2020

Ink on Paper, 609 x 914 mm - 'Portraits in Isolation' Series.

Masah Azar

I am a Jordanian artist specializing in drawing and portraiture.

I have an interest in making and creating work that explores human experiences, interpersonal relationships, and personal narratives. After experimenting with a variety of different media, I have developed a fondness for the immediacy, accessibility, and communicability of drawing. Drawing inspiration from my childhood love of comic books, I aim to represent the raw, unfiltered reality of growing up, and the feelings and experiences that come along with transitioning from one area of life into another.

Upon finishing this degree, I hope to continue developing my skills in further study and make connections with like-minded artists and creative minds.

Final year project

'Growing Pains'

Awards

I have been featured in student-led zines including Eclectic Magazine's Fifth Issue 'Wildcard' in November 2020, and Our Restless Bones' Second Issue 'Touch' in April 2021.

Work Experience

In March 2021, I was offered a one-day residency with Leicestershire-based organization ‘No Jobs in the Arts’. I was prompted to create work inspired by my relationship with 'home' and how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent national lockdowns have impacted it. Working within an 8-hour time constraint, I had to reflect critically on my experience and find a way to efficiently display it visually. My drawing was then exhibited digitally by Leicester's Attenborough Arts Center.