The series ‘Schoolgirls’ – an ongoing project exploring portraiture
through an extended timelapse - is a collection of portraits of
young girls, aiming to highlight the individual characters of young
Londoners, beyond the school uniform they wear and identifies
them.
Following several female students throughout their teenage school
years – a process that might continue well into the girls’ adult lives
– the series focuses on the emotional depth shining through the
gaze and gestures of the sitters, enabled by the evolving bonds of
familiarity between the photographer and the girls.
Usually, the portraits included in the series freeze those moments
between staged, directed shots, when the models fall into their
own world, lost in thought, and less aware of the lens and the
presence of the photographer.
Hania Farrell (b. 1965, Lebanon) lives and works in London (UK). She studied interior design at BUC (Beirut), Pratt Institute (New York) and Charpentier (Paris).
Current solo projects include 'Tree of Life', at Bellevue Medical Centre (Beirut, 2016/17).
Recent solo shows include: the digital exhibition 'Converse' (VertuLife app, 2016/17), Beirut Art Fair (2014 and 2015) and Singapore Art Fair (2014), as well as commissions for Beirut Art Week (Air France, 2014; VERTU, 2015) and TEAL, a major site-specific solo exhibition at a derelict Chelsea townhouse (London, 2013).
Current and upcoming group exhibitions include: 'The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016' with the work Helix (from the series: Helix) (Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, 2017; The Beaney, Canterbury, 2017, previously at the National Portrait Gallery, London, 2016/17). The exhibition 'RPS International Images for Science', including Collider III and Looking for the Bang (from the series: Collider) (Banbury Museum; City Arts Centre, Edinburgh; Royal Albert Hall, The Crystal, London; Cheltenham Science Festival; Haymer's College, Hull; Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester).
Recent group exhibitions include: 'Portrait Salon 2016' with the work 'Minecrafting' (Craft Central, London, 2016), ArtGemini Prize 2016 Exhibition (Asia House, London, 2016), 'Nature Connections' (Derby University, 2016), 'Summer Salon', curated by Sanmartino, Mangrai, Lubomirov, Falbo, Damary, Bleeker and Angus-Hughes (Lubomirov/Angus-Hughes, London, 2016), 'Of the Sea' - Art in the Dockyard 2016, curated by Hannah Conroy (The Historic Dockyard Chatham, 2016), 'Stewarts Law RCA Secret' (Dubai, London, 2016), 'Point & Shoot' (Cock'n Bull Gallery, London, 2013).
Her work is represented in private collections across the UK, the US, Indonesia, Lebanon, UAE, Italy and Switzerland.
Farrell's practice has been discussed and published by, amongst others, The Guardian, RPS Journal, BBC arabic, The Saatchi Gallery Magazine ART&MUSIC, ArtTribune, Photomonitor, pample-mousse, Foci Magazine, The Daily Star, L'Orient LE JOUR.
Awards Farrell was awarded The Art Gemini Prize 2016 (first prize for Photography and Digital category), The Dockyard Prize (2016) and was twice nominated to submit for Prix Pictet (2016: space, 2015: disorder). Additionally, she won the On the Street; Royal Photographic Society Monthly Competition (May 2016) and was a finalist of the RPS International Images for Science (2016), the Saatchi Magazine ART&MUSIC Point & Shoot competition (2013).
