Ola Hassanain

Description

Ola Hassanain is an artist, architect, and mentor of the Prince Claus Building Beyond Mentorship. She’s originally from Sudan and currently based in Utrecht, Netherlands. Herwork explores the subtle politics of space, specifically how built spaces can reflect and reproduce state power and consequently impact the lives of those who inhabit those spaces. Her most recent work looks into the idea of “space as discourse”, adding political and ecological dimensions to spatial design. Hassanain was a BAK Fellow (2017) and a resident at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (2021–23), and teaches at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and the Sandberg Institute. In 2018 she received a Prince Claus Fund Flexible Grant for her project Our Stakes in your Rhythm. Her projects have been presented at the Chicago Architecture Bienniale, Sharjah Architecture Triennial, and in exhibitions such as Workable Geographies (2022) and The Watcher (2025, Kunstinstituut Melly).