Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

I'll be exhibiting at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition from July 14 to the 16th.

deFUZE Magazine: March Edition, 2016

Photo Credits: Images of paintings Care Giver, Farmer Hans and photos of The Fabric of Tanzania Opening via Eliot Kim Photography – eliotk89@gmail.com Images of paintings Bibi, Adam, Erna, Brothers (Ndugu) & Roadside Vendors via Hans Poppe – hanspoppe@gmail.com

Hans Poppe is a contemporary Canadian artist combining traditional mediums with fashion and culture by using oil on kitenge (African fabric) on wood panel. Born in Tanzania, Hans’s family migrated to Canada in 1987 seeking political asylum. His paintings are inspired by Tanzanian life, drawing from his experiences and observations he showcases the untold stories of day-to-day African life.

NE: You’ve spoken about African identity and your own journeys between Toronto and Tanzania, can you tell me a little bit about that? 

HP: I first went back to Tanzania in 2005. I had graduated with honours from Humber College in 2002, graphic design and advertising. I was working in the industry, it was a beautiful challenge and everything was going according to plan, at least at that time. I was still young and creating amazing work, had awesome clients and my employer was a veteran so I learned a ton from working with him. 

All that being said, I always felt like there was something missing, at least on a personal level, in the context of who I am. I grew up in TZ, I came here when I was eight and at home we always spoke Swahili, the food we ate was usually African, so naturally I identified as a proud, young, East African. But by the time I was a young adult, I had lived in the Greater Toronto Area longer than I did in Tanzania. As Canadians we have a tendency to self identify based on where our family comes from, I always said “I’m Tanzanian”, but I started to wonder what it really meant to be African. 

I started to question my future. I saw myself working in this industry, having 2.2 kids, getting a mortgage at a certain age and a fancy car, moving every two to three years to another agency to climb that career ladder and so on and so on. The idea that my life was already so clearly outlined simply scared me. It gave me a bit of a panic attack, so I threw a monkey wrench in my life. I decided to go home to Tanzania to reconnect with my roots and relearn who I am. 

I told everyone I was going back for about three months; I ended up staying for over a year. The first while I was there I had to learn how to just sit and do nothing. On our side of the world we’re constantly on the move, especially here in Toronto. If you are not constantly moving, working, earning, something doesn’t feel right. I remember just sitting from the beginning of the day to the end of the day catching up with my grandmother and family members under that beautiful sun. They have a saying in TZ that initially annoyed me but later I learned to appreciate, “There’s no hurry in Africa”. I suppose in many ways I can say I learned a lot about myself. After I was settled and caught up with family I needed to get moving again. 

NE: You paint on kitenge on wood panel, how did that happen? 

While people watching I noticed that everybody was wearing these fabrics. The women would divide them into a top and skirt, sometimes a third as a head dress. The men would turn them into shirts and pants. Initially I noticed it was just older men who would wear these patterned fabrics with pride. The younger men all dressed in western styles, but now it seems to be changing, it’s coming back as a young trend. I think Nigeria has a lot do with that actually. If you look at the hip hop videos from that part of the world they’ve really begun to embrace the fabrics and their culture again. 

I remember sitting watching women passing and thinking there was something to these fabrics. I started noticing that the fabrics, the specific types of fabric that I work with, were worn by women who were celebrating something. It was what women would wear to weddings for example. They’re expensive, special and so they save them for those highlight moments of their lives. Kangas are similar fabrics but they’re more like your jeans and t-shirts, your everyday wear. Slowly I started paying attention to the colours and patterns and the more I studied them, the more I realised that there was something really beautiful about them and very specific to the region.

I didn’t start painting until 2008 but I felt connected to the fabrics and what they represented in terms of the culture. When I finally decided to work with fabric I knew I wanted to use what they considered the best, what they wear to celebrations of life, weddings, funerals, births. 

NE: Tell me about the inspiration for your subjects? 

HP: I grew up identifying as East African with pride but the African art I saw, and the imagery in the media, always seemed to concern something bitter, angry, depressive or from a colonial era. I wanted to show Tanzania the way I see it, to feature happy children and women, to fill the gap in the public discourse with positive images about what it means to be Tanzanian or African in general. I paint what I never saw and knew I was. 

NE: 2015 was an incredible breakthrough year for you, any advice for new artists? 

HP: Stick with it. I started painting in 2008 when I was fortunate enough to take advantage of a lump sum redundancy package and take a year off to paint. I treated painting as a full time job, I enrolled in courses and set myself a goal that I would paint or draw everyday of that year for at least one hour. What ended up happening was that the one hour would turn into two, then four, and so on. My daughter was two at the time, when she went to bed each night around 8pm I would start painting and keep going until around 7am. When I picked up the brush and paint there was something about the release that just felt natural. Everything I was trying just flowed out effortlessly. 

In 2015 I rededicated myself to painting. I gave myself a year to put in as much work as possible in pursuing this dream and the response was phenomenal, to say the least. I really believe that when you put it out there the universe provides.

For more from Hans visit www.hanspoppe.com, Instagram & Twitter @hanspoppe or Facebook.com/hanspoppeart

Introducing Hans Poppe: Art & African Identity

 www.theculturetrip.com


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Toronto is a vibrant, multicultural city, with an art scene as diverse as its inhabitants. Hans Poppe is one contemporary artist on the rise: painter, printmaker, illustrator, and designer. After graduating from Humber College in 2002, Hans enjoyed a successful career in advertising before returning to studies at the Toronto School of Art to focus on painting in 2008. His latest paintings, combining traditional art media with African culture, are inspired by his Tanzanian heritage and his fascination with the untold stories of day-to-day African life.

The Fabric of Tanzania | © Eliot Kim Photography

2015 has seen Hans emerge as an artist to watch on the Toronto scene. He debuted at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and returned to Manifesto for the fourth time since 2010, and his first solo exhibition, The Fabric of Tanzania, is currently on view in Regent Park at the Daniels Spectrum Hallway Galleries until January 24th, 2016.

Currently freelancing in advertising, when he’s not working or painting Hans also mentors at-risk youth, working with The Remix Project and Arts Lab. This work pairs young artists with mentors and provides Hans another channel through which to engage with the community through art.

Adam | Courtesy of Hans Poppe

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Continue reading the original post here... www.theculturetrip.com

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The Fabric of Tanzania runs through January 24th, 2016.

Daniels Spectrum 1st Floor Gallery, 585 Dundas St East, Toronto, ON, Canada +1 416 238 2453 Gallery is open to the public and free of charge.

By Nicole Egan

Nicole Egan is a freelance writer and communications strategist. A wanderlust sufferer and lifelong explorer, when she’s not traveling (or planning future travels) you can find her exploring (or playing board games) in Toronto.

Fabric of Tanzania Hans Poppe Solo Art Exhibition

This will be my first solo art exhibition. Its taken me some time to get here and I have dedicated this year to this show... It will definitely be worth your while to see these paintings live. Photo's do not do them justice.

Fabric of Tanzania
Solo Art Exhibition

Opening Reception November 12th, 2015

Show runs from Nov. 12th, 2015 till Jan. 24th, 2016

Daniels Spectrum 1st Floor Gallery

585 Dundas St. E., Toronto, ON.

hanspoppe.com

hanspoppe@gmail.com

Instagram: @hanspoppe 

Twitter: @hanspoppe

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition 2015

Greatest story of the weekend for me at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (aside from a million others)... Saw a woman admiring my work, she compliments, picked up my cards and just as she was about to leave, I say to her I know you from some where. Couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Anyway after a few moments of back and forth trying to pin-point where I might've known her from... She asks me where did you go to school. Finally figured out that she was my grade 12 teacher. 

Without missing a beat I say to her... Your the teacher that gave me a 50% in art, on my last year. That mark affected my whole post secondary school options. It was because of that mark I had to "redo" some of grade 12, in a different high school to "upgrade" my mark. And basically led me down a completely different path than the one I thought I was going to take. Her reaction was priceless! 

All good, it is what it is and life worked itself out. But the fact that moment took place in my booth, in my first TOAE show... talk about a full circle moment :)

Africkswag.com: Artist of the Week

Just got featured as artist of the week on africkswag.com, a UK based site... Check it out!

Naturally, feel free to share.

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Hans Poppe: Artist of the Week

Artistry: Graphic designer and artist.

Social media platforms:
FB: HansPoppe
Instagram: @hanspoppe
Website: www.hanspoppe.com

What services do you offer?

Freelance graphic design; illustrations; commissions; limited edition prints; custom portraits; one-on-one mentorship; selling originals; exhibitions.

Where can we purchase your work? For any purchase inquiries, feel free to send an email to hanspoppe@gmail.com. Online purchases will be available soon at hanspoppe.com.
Have you always wanted to be an artist/creator of art?

When I was 4 years old, while sitting with my Mother on a porch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I looked up to see a drawing my Aunt pinned up. I remember asking my Mom, “Whose picture is that?” (Thinking it was a photograph)… She replied with a simple, “It’s your Auntie’s drawing.” I remember looking at my crayons and that piece of paper in front of me and trying to make sense that a human, a being like myself, was able to do… “that”. It was at that moment that I realized what I wanted to do when I grew up.

Are you a full time artist?
Yes, I consider myself a “Full-time” artist and designer. I believe being an artist is a lifestyle, it’s who you are. It’s what you think, what you say, what you do, what you create. They are all one and the same. It’s what you do without realizing that you are doing it, a way for you to make sense of who you are. For me it’s answering that ever-elusive question… Why you are here on Earth? It’s you being real to your God-self here on Earth. For me, it’s the closest thing to the highest state of vibration. It’s where time doesn’t really exist.

I am also a Teacher/Mentor with some local community programs here in Toronto… The Remix Project (http://theremixproject.com) and Arts Lab. They both cater to “at risk” youth in the city. In the last 3 years I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and being a mentor to some of the most talented and ambitious youth in the city. They all start off with a ton of focus, goals and ambition, but as the year continues, life can really become an obstacle in pursuing their dreams and goals as artists. Some make sense of their personal hurdles, some take a bit longer, but all have benefited from the art programs I’ve been involved in. One way or another it has usually been a positive experience for them. Further more, the ones that have really stuck through it all and continue to pursue their dreams and goals are such an inspiration! It’s always amazing to watch someone starting off with a sense of insecurity, and just grow to become the best versions of them selves despite their personal challenges.

Do you have formal training? What is your training background or are you self-taught?
My formal training is in Design and Advertising via Humber College here in Toronto. I don’t have any formal training when it comes to the arts. I took a handful of part-time classes to better understand and learn how to use my materials and some techniques. Some classes did help with art history, philosophy and context. Otherwise, I consider myself self-taught.

How do you combat any lack of inspiration?
I find inspiration in my everyday existence. It could be a ripped up poster on a street light pole on the way to work in the morning. Or a graffiti piece I see on my walk in the late night on Queen St., or book on the history of Corporations. Or an audio book entitled “Conversations with God” while I paint. Or photos from my last trip to Tanzania rotating on my computer screen as I paint Tanzanians on Tanzanian fabric (Kitenge). Lately, Instagram, Behance and Pinterest have been my defaults.

Life can be inspiration enough. My biggest motivation for the latest body of work is simply painting subject matter that I always wanted to see in galleries and never saw. My inspiration for this particular body of work is from constantly seeing Africans being misrepresented in the media. I remember growing up to some really ignorant questions about where I come from. ie. “Do you all wear grass skirts in Africa? Do you live amongst wild life in Dar es Salaam?” That was many years ago now, but it really made me see things differently. These days it bothers me to no end when I constantly see African children in the donation commercials… As if all the children in Africa are sick and starving. They hardly ever show the other more positive picture of Africa.

These painting I’m working on are to show the “real” life of Tanzanians, the unapologetic day to day life. Some are of villagers, some of city kids, some are late night conversations with elders… etc.

What you consume is what you will release. If you choose to see darkness all the time, you will see darkness in all aspects of your life. Vice versa, if you choose to focus on the positive side of your life, you will manifest positivity in your life. I want to change the image that people have of Africa and Tanzanian people in general.

Africa is not the hunger commercials, poverty and war stricken place painted in the media. It is a beautiful land with a rich cultural history and an evolved people and I aspire to reflect that version of African in my work.

It’s important as an artist to keep fueling what inspires you and focus in on why you started to do this in the first place.

Random Question Alert! What is your favourite food?
Mom’s cooking… Which is mostly Tanzanian food :)

Biggie and Lil Wayne Got Voted 1st and 2nd In 20+ Emerging Toronto Artists To Watch Out For In 2015

Humbled that both my ‪#‎paintings‬ of ‪#‎Biggie‬ and ‪#‎LilWayne‬ got voted first and second place in boredpanda.com's "20+ Emerging ‪#‎Toronto‬

Artists to Watch Out For in 2015"! Thanks to all who voted on my behalf! This year's body of work won't disappoint.

Remember to add to your calendar Nov. 12th, 2015... My first solo show!

Open Haus Pop-up Art and Design Gallery

I'll be participating in an art exhibition at Open Haus Pop-up Art/Design Gallery. Opening reception is this coming Friday, January 23rd, 2015. Doors open at 4:30pm - 10pm.

The Collective Spaces & POP 404 invite you to an open house celebrating the creative spirit of Art & Design in Toronto.

Open Haus is an inclusive gallery-style exhibition featuring creations in all mediums, styles and sizes.

404 Adelaide St. West (West of Spading on Adelaide West).

Falling Backwards - Mike Celia

This was one of the most effortless projects I've had the pleasure to work on! Beautiful music... Awesome client!

Check out the rest of the project here... hanspoppe.com/mikecelia

Manifesto's 8th Annual Anniversary Art Show

I'll be participating in this year's 8th Annual Manifesto Art Show. Save the date... Would love to meet you in person!





TRANSCENSION
8th Annual Art Exhibition

Headlining works from international graffiti artist and tattoo legend MISTER CARTOON from Los Angeles who will be doing a live mural alongside Toronto graffiti artist SKAM, and Colombian artist KNO DELIX.

Purchase tix online: http://mnfstoart.eventbrite.ca/

Also featuring...

ELICSER
EGR
Mark ‘Kurupt’ Stoddart
JAVID
Carl & Ann Beam
Totem Resolve
Hans Poppe
Sara Golish
Jah Grey
Danilo
Ekow Nimako
Komi Olaf
Heather Fulton
FlipsBSC
Wylie Styles
Nathalie Long
+ more

Come check the live tattoo exhibit and a get free airbrushed body art by FYInk Tattoos

Food provided by Fidel Gastro's

Giveaways by Above Ground Arts Supplies

Steam Whistle Brewery
255 Bremner Blvd.
7pm - 2am
$15 advance | more at door
Purchase tix online: http://mnfstoart.eventbrite.ca/

Sponsored by:
Steam Whistle
FYInk
Above Ground Art Supplies
ONN
True Playaz (lowriders collective)
Fidel Gastro's

More Details:
www.mistercartoon.com
www.fyinktattoos.com
www.steamwhistle.ca
www.abovegroundartsupplies.com

Manifesto Sacred 7 Art Exhibition

SPiN Turns 2 Anniversary and Fundraiser (Behind the Scenes)

Here's some behind the scenes look at the installation of my Versace piece for Spin's 2nd year birthday and fundraiser for The Remix Project. Come by this Friday, September 20th at 8pm. Drinks, food, friends... Ping Pong!