Hasanul’s new evocative series Nightjar is inspired by his nocturnal walks. They are conceived as a response to reclaim a body desensitized from the onslaught of visual, mental, and internal noises inherent within our fast-paced contemporary life and the urban environment. Through this daily practice of walking, the artist is compelled to thoroughly embrace every sensation and emotion in minute detail. These walks are pockets of contemplation that removes him from the demanding cacophony and extends time that otherwise flies by. In this delicate timezone that Hasanul has reclaimed for himself, is a profound moment of discovery for his surroundings and himself where he feels at home in his own time and space.

The artist writes, “During these long nights of walking my vision gets thinner. My olfactory senses heighten, and I can smell the scent of flowers that are released only at night to attract pollinators such as bats and moths. It sometimes crosses my mind that these trees could be as old as my father. It transports me to another world, in which I bathe in the stars and feel their seeming motion; I watch the moon change its colour each night or catch a glimpse of what might be a shooting star and hearing the occasional nightjar. Silence can be an abstract concept whereas walking is clearly an action. Night walking distances me from the distraction of everyday life and acts as a purifier that sanctify me and pushes me to navigate without the help of applications and give in to the feeling of being lost.”