Kicking off our next series of interviews with culture changers in downtown New York is our conversation with gallery Founder and Director Hannah Traore. She’s an up and comer in the NY art and fashion scene who’s been widely recognized for taking “old guard” gallery owners to task, especially when it comes to artist representation.
Host Traven Rice spoke with her about putting down roots in the neighborhood, becoming involved in the community and what she looks for when deciding to feature boundary-pushing artists in her space on Orchard Street.
One of Hannah’s early shows, “Beghairati Ki Nishaani: Traces of Shamelessness, a solo exhibition of work by Misha Japanwala,” featured a bold new collection of the young Pakistani artist’s breast plates and custom nipple moldings.
Japanwala molds the body to create casts that are worn as sculptural garments, and notes that her “practice is an insistence for marginalized bodies to occupy physical space, emphasizing the notion that our bodies shouldn’t need to prove anything other than being allowed to simply exist.”
Hannah’s most recent show, “Chella Man: It Doesn’t Have to Makes Sense,” features the 25-year old deaf, trans, bi-cultural artist, Chella Man, and was his first solo show in New York.
Hannah Traore Gallery, located at 150 Orchard Street, opened just over two years ago. It is a space “committed to advocating for and celebrating artists who have been historically marginalized from the mainstream narrative. Whether underrepresented, overlooked, or exploited, HTG is building a path forward to share their extraordinary visions with the world.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Hannah Traore developed an affinity for art and an appreciation for diverse perspectives from a young age. Her mother, an art collector and fiber artist, infused art into every part of her life while her father, a Malian immigrant, immersed her in his culture, which introduced her to issues of representation in the art world and beyond.
Hannah was recently included in the 2023 “Forbes 30 under 30” list in Art & Style and Apollo Magazine’s 2023 “40 under 40” USA list.
You can watch the full episode on our YouTube channel or listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy it, please leave a good rating and feel free to subscribe!
If there’s someone you consider to be a downtown “culture changer,” email us at: tips@thelodownny.com.
