Gaard also collaborated with Hassan on an event at the Capitol Cafe in Minneapolis featuring Hassan as well as Somali-Swedish writer Awes Osman. “It just came from his soul,” Gaard said. Local artist Pamela Gaard first met Hassan roughly five years ago and connected with his work immediately. Hassan Nor was known for his intricate drawings layered with stories, characters, and aspects of cultural life from pre-civil war Somalia. In the artist talk, he described using art to help him through the difficult time, drawing memories of his life back in Somalia before the war as a way of coping with distress. “I would come home and scribble whatever I thought was art,” he said, though a translator.Īfter moving to the United States, Hassan faced loneliness and isolation. At a panel discussion at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in 2017, Hassan described how instead of going to school, he worked during the day to support his family, and drew at night on the floor of his home. “If the story doesn’t make the people laugh,” Ali said, “he would be mad at himself.”īorn in Jubaland, in southern Somalia, Hassan practiced his art in his spare time for most of his life. He also was a great storyteller who loved to joke around and have a good laugh. He described his father as an outgoing person, who would often sew clothing for relatives or friends in the Somali community. “My dad was a person everybody around respected,” Ali said. He died in his public housing apartment in Elliot Park two days after that. Last week, Hassan became ill and was taken to the hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19. Hassan had suffered from heart and kidney failure in recent months, according to his son, Adan Ali. Late in his life, however, his work was recognized in the Twin Cities and was shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minnesota History Center and other venues including Third Place Gallery and the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Made Here program. Hassan resettled in the United States in 2002, but the art he created earlier did not survive the journey. Hassan Nor, a Somali elder and self-taught artist known for his intricate drawings layered with stories, characters, and aspects of cultural life from pre-civil war Somalia, died May 19 after contracting the coronavirus. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, sign up for our newsletter. Sahan Journal brings you reliable and authentic news about our newest Minnesotans.
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