“Karimah grew up in Newport, South Wales, in a Yemeni, Bangladeshi and Welsh family. She moved to London about seven years ago to study and graduated with an MA in architecture from the Royal College of Art. Unsurprisingly, given this background, Karimah thinks carefully about the consumption of her art and the value of multidisciplinary design.” - iD
Karimah Hassan in studio. Photo Credit Thomas Brady 2025
BIO
Karimah Hassan is a London-based painter and writer whose practice bridges visual art, poetry, and public storytelling. Trained as an architect, she creates immersive worlds through Painting Out Loud - a process-led approach that invites audiences into the act of creation itself.
Drawing from her Welsh, Yemeni, and Bangladeshi heritage, her work explores belonging, memory, and the language of colour, blending fine art and pop culture with a belief that creativity is a form of social technology. Through her Substack platform, The Gremlins, her spoken-word Poemcasts, and her ongoing Museum Rat column, Karimah builds spaces for self-taught creators to think, feel, and make.
“Hassan's work captures how it is to be in the moment... It's all part of Hassan's ongoing mission to use art as an instrument to connect.” - Elle
She has exhibited internationally across London, New York, Toronto, Ibiza, and Beirut, and collaborated with global brands and cultural institutions including Molton Brown, & Other Stories × UNICEF, Rosewood Hotels, The Standard, Burberry, The Barbican, and Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation.
“Through her street art projects she engages a broader community and breaks down barriers, bringing other people's stories to life, lifting them up and highlighting them in their own environments.” - The Wick
Education
2014–16 MA Architecture, Royal College of Art, London, UK
2014–15 Research Fellowship, Kyoto University of Arts, Japan
2010–13 BSc Architecture, Cardiff University, UK
Selected Residencies
2025 Villa Lena Residency, Tuscany, Italy
2025 Secteur Privé Residency, Beirut, Lebanon
2025 The Standard Hotel Residency (Sweet Nothings), New York, USA
2022–23 Sarabande Foundation Studio Residency, London, UK
2022 The Standard × Bergdorf Goodman Residency, New York, USA
2018 Artscape Residency, Toronto, Canada
2018 Con Artist Gallery Residency, New York, USA
Selected Exhibitions & Shows
Solo Shows
2025 Sweet Nothings, The Standard, New York, USA
2024–25 Four Generations, Rosewood London, UK
2024 Sensai, Selfridges VIP Lounge Commission, London, UK
2021 The Strangers Yearbook, Kiosk N1C, London, UK
2019 Strangers In My Blood, Pamenar Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2019 Moving to True North, Unit 31, London, UK
Group Shows
2025 LAS Begins, Sarabande Foundation, London, UK
2024 House of Bandits, Sarabande Foundation, London, UK
2022–23 Taking Care of Business, Migration Museum, London, UK
2021 Bound, Dover Street Market, London, UK
2021 Five: 50, Mile End Art Pavilion, London, UK
2021 Served, Sarabande Foundation, London, UK
2020 Herstory, Maddox Gallery, London, UK
2018 Residence Showcase, Con Artist Collective, Manhattan, NYC
2018 Cooties Collective, Chinatown Soup Gallery, Manhattan, NYC
2016 Degree Show, Royal College of Art, London, UK
2015 Degree Show, Aqua Gallery, Kyoto, Japan
Public Installations / Live Painting
2021–22 The Strangers Yearbook, Coal Drops Yard, London, UK
2021 Vans Checkerboard Day, Jukebox Collective, Cardiff, UK
2019 Crxss Platfxrms NSF, Copeland Gallery, London, UK
Selected Projects & Commissions
2025 Molton Brown — Artists of Note Global Campaign (Oudh Accord & Gold, September 2025)
2025 & Other Stories × UNICEF — International Women’s Day Collaboration, London (March 2025)
2022 Painting Residency — The Standard Hotel, New York, USA
2022 Mural Commission — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
2020 Educational Programme — The Barbican, London, UK
2020 Mentorship Programme — Arts Council England, UK
2019 Community Mural — The High Line, New York, USA
Public Talks & Collaborations
2025 Reorienting the Gaze, The Arts Club Mayfair, London (October 2025)
2025 & Other Stories × UNICEF — International Women’s Day Collaboration (March 2025)
2025 Molton Brown — Artists of Note Global Campaign
2024 Rosewood Art & Culture Talk, London
2022 Creativity & Identity, Soho House, London
2022 Brand Partnerships, MTA Art Agency × Sarabande Foundation, London
2020 The Nature of Creativity, Creative Mornings UK (Digital)
2019 Creativity & Opportunity, HK Strategies × British Library, London
Selected Brand Collaborations:
Molton Brown, & Other Stories, UNICEF, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, The High Line NYC, Vans, Arts Council England, The Barbican.
Upcoming Projects
2026 Between Two Kingdoms, Beirut Exhibition Series
2026 The Gremlins — Book Publication (poems & paintings)
2026 Painting Out Loud — Podcast exploring art, consciousness and creative process