Kay Hassan was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1956. In 1986 the French government awarded him a scholarship to study printmaking with S.W. Hayter at Studio 17 in France. His work has been shown at a number of solo and group shows, including, "L'Art Contemporain Afrique," Brussels, 1998; and "Democracy's Images: Photographs and Visual Art After Apartheid", BildMuseet, Umea, 1998.

Hassan's work is held in public and private collections, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Using recycled materials from billboards around Johannesburg, South Africa, Kay Hassan creates paper constructions that depict groups of displaced migrants and refugees. Under apartheid (1948-91), groups of black South Africans were forced from their homes to designated townships.

While Hassan draws upon his experience in South Africa, the suffering of political and religious refugees remains universal. Objects in the installation, such as the bicycles carrying blankets, suitcases and bags, represent the itinerant lifestyle of their owners. Hassan also incorporated a documentary video about the student uprisings in South Africa — a reaction by black students to being taught in Afrikaans.

Photo by Donnelly Markas