Danielle Lett chats to the Suffolk artist and finds out all about her international success and unique style
East Anglia is a hotbed of talent, especially when it comes to artists, with creative folk working in studios all over the county.
Amongst them is painter Ania Hobson.
At just 32-years old, the contemporary portrait artist has been on the receiving end of a number of nods and accolades throughout her career, including winning the 2018 BP Young Artist Award. In 2019 Elle magazine cited her as a rising star.
Ania's trajectory is only going to reach even further heights, as she prepares to host a number of international exhibits, hanging her work in New York City, Berlin, and Los Angeles.
Explaining how she first fell into the more creative side of things, she says: “Art is something I’ve always grown up with, and something I’ve always been surrounded by. I was always given crayons, pencils, and pens at the table.”
Ania's mother works at Framingham Market with her own espresso coffee business, and in her spare time she has a side business where she designs Polish-style furniture (a nod to her native land), while her dad works in conservation. Ania’s two siblings are in creative fields, as well.
“I’ve been painting professionally since university, so for about eight years now,” she says.
Ania studied Fine Art at the University of Suffolk, and followed this with short courses at the Prince’s Drawing School and Florence Academy of Art.
“Because I’ve always been into painting and drawing, it’s always been there, but a lot of people said being a painter is difficult to make as a career. I studied art though because it’s my passion and I wanted to continue learning about painting.
“After leaving university, I thought ‘Actually, I don’t want to stop doing this’, and at that point, I really pushed myself by doing shows.”
Starting off small, her first show was close to home at Aldeburgh Gallery. And shortly after, she began entering competitions which she says really helped get her name onto the scene.
“I reached a certain point and didn’t really want to give up as I'd gotten so far doing something I love.”
Ania, who splits her time between London and Suffolk, has nothing but love for her home county.
“Suffolk is full of artists, and has a very vibrant art scene. You’ve got well-known artists here, alongside the up-and-comers, and it’s super important that everyone supports each other.”
She is based at Asylum Studios – a co-operative run artists’ studio based at Bentwaters.
“Asylum Studios does residencies, and we have many people coming in and out which creates a nice community and gets people networking.”
Head to the studio and you will find Ania there, currently working on a large canvas piece.
Colourful, emotive, and immersive, it’s not hard to see why her work is so sought-after.
“My art is contemporary figurative, so a lot of my paintings are imaginative. I do a lot of preliminary sketches before I create these stories and characters, bringing them to life with my paintings. I look a lot at the psychology of people, such as body language and the expressions that we use to communicate with each other.”
Ania describes her art as ‘a little bit more exaggerated’, with ‘quite an abstract look to it’.
“I’m inspired by a lot of artists, but a lot of my inspiration tends to come from life in general. If I'm out somewhere like at a bar or a café, I’ll people watch. A lot of my own personal stuff comes out in my paintings, too.”
Ania’s unique style has seen her gain international recognition – something that still feels like a dream, she says.
“I love the feeling that people are following my work, but I sometimes have to pinch myself. Going international with my work is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m always really flattered to know I have a following. It definitely gives me the drive to produce something, knowing that people are looking at it.”
With such a growing following, what’s next for her?
“I don’t have anything local lined up – everything at the moment is elsewhere in the UK or internationally. I have a solo show coming up in London this May, and everything else is abroad.
“It feels a while since I’ve exhibited in Suffolk, but I did do one called Women 100 back in 2019.”
Women 100 was a female-led exhibition that celebrated the creativity of women artists at Ipswich Art School Gallery. Ania’s work was featured alongside Jelly Green, Anna Airy, Maggi Hambling, Charlotte Harvey, and Amy K Browning.
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“That was great - it was a joint effort with a lot of really established women artists as well as emerging ones, so it was good to bring everyone together.”
Currently, Ania is exhibiting alongside acclaimed Barbara Kruger at New York City’s Morgan Present Gallery (funnily enough located on Manhattan’s Suffolk Street). Following this, her work can be found at Los Angeles’ Steve Turner gallery, and after that she will be doing a group show in New York, and ending the year with a show in Berlin.
“I’m quite booked up,” she chuckles.
And after that?
“I just want to continue doing what I’m currently doing – that's a dream within itself.”
To find out more about Ania and her art, visit aniahobson.com
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