Between surrealism and social documentary
Bristol based visual artist and photographer Issy Hawken joins Underline with four projects exploring identity, class, heritage and belonging through a mix of documentary, collaboration and constructed image making.
Working between surrealism and social documentary, Hawken’s practice blends fiction with lived experience, using performance, writing and collaborative processes to examine the systems shaping contemporary life.
Am I The Baboon?
Developed in close collaboration with friend and collaborator Saif, Am I The Baboon? combines photography, drawing and writing to explore displacement, nostalgia and imposed identity. Rooted in lived experience, the work moves between interpretation and memory, using the ‘baboon’ as a metaphor for otherness and uncertain belonging.
The View From Here
In The View From Here, Hawken reflects on Cornwall, labour and working class identity through performance based and satirical imagery. The series examines how heritage and local traditions are reshaped through economic pressure, while resisting romanticised portrayals of working class life.
Being British
Pairing reflective writing with archive photography taken during the 2024 UK general election, Being British responds to nationalism, political frustration and division in contemporary England. The project considers how patriotism can become distorted and weaponised within periods of social uncertainty.
OW THRE
Meaning ‘my home’ in Kernewek, OW THRE documents family, land and cultural heritage through an intimate portrait of Cornwall and the people connected to it. The work acts as both personal reflection and quiet act of preservation amid ongoing economic and social change.
Explore more work from Issy Hawken on her contributor profile.
