Hassan Vawda
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Hassan Vawda's PhD research project
Religion, Secularism and Modern Art Museums in Britain: How do the Tate Galleries consider Islam and the experiences of Muslims in Britain?
This AHRC funded doctorate, one of the first to consider contemporary faith and the way it is positioned by major public art and cultural institutions, aims to open dialogue on the potential of ‘religious literacy’ in building new audiences, ways of programming and governance in public art and cultural organisations.
It will question whether art and cultural institutions and sectors are consciously or unconsciously ‘secular spaces’, and who and what ideas and debates may be excluded. It will evaluate the role an institution such as Tate, and other art museums and galleries, can play in considering dialogues on engaging with faith communities, and what new approaches to artistic risk can perhaps be found in this exchange.
Researcher biography
Hassan has worked within public engagement, interpretation, research and policy within public arts, culture and heritage sectors.
In 2017 Hassan was awarded an Aziz Foundation scholarship to develop ideas and trial projects and complete an MA in Anthropology and Community Development (Goldsmiths, University of London) around inclusion/exclusion within the cultural sector and ways of connecting with faith communities.
He has previously worked at Tate, INIVA, and the Greater London Authority and Arts Council England, and has written and contributed papers and articles for a range of journals, publications and programmes across art, heritage, religion and engagement. He was 2023 Scholar-in-Residence for the Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.