Nancy Hamel (Nhi), self-portrait 2021
Bio
Nancy Hamel (Nhi) is a fine art photographer and artist based in Montreal.
Her work reflects a minimalist, graphic aesthetic which captures a gentle yet colorful world. In the process of creation, she allows herself to be intuitively guided by her sensitivity to the environment, the play of light, and her emotional resonance with her subject.
Nancy’s work is strongly influenced by her dance background. After graduating from the School of Dance in Ottawa in 1999, she pursued a career in dance wearing many hats: performer, choreographer, teacher, and set designer. In 2019, upon returning to Montreal after a long stay in Boston, Nancy decided on a career change she returned to school to study photography at College Marsan. She obtained the M5 award for the best portfolio of her cohort in 2021.
After graduating, she had a solo exhibition at the Axart gallery (July 2021) with her Natatorium series, which explores her love for water in relation to her hypersensitivity. She participated in a collective titled Water Essential, juror Wendi Schneider at Photo Place Gallery (Vermont, 2021). In November 2021, she presented her series Biophilia, which explores the importance of reconnecting with our deeply rooted love for nature, in a group exhibit at College Marsan (Montreal) in collaboration with the McCord Museum (Montreal)
In 2022, she began the year by participating in the multidisciplinary collective Parcours exploratoires at the Axart gallery with a short projection relating to her Biophilia series (January 2022) In April 2022, she received a nomination from the 8th annual FAPA - Fine Art Photography Awards and two Honorable mentions from Minimalist Photography Awards And PX3 for her work Inner World.
Education
2021 AEC in Commercial Photography, Collège Marsan, Montreal, Canada
1999 Contemporary Dance Diploma, The School of Dance, Ottawa, Canada
Exhibitions
2023
March - April - Group exhibition, Axart, Drummondville, Qc
2022
September - October - Group exhibition, Axart, Drummondville, Qc
July - Group exhibition, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, Venice, Italy
January - Group exhibition, Axart : Parcours exploratoires, Drummondville, Qc
2021
November - Group exhibition, Collège Marsan in collaboration with McCord Museum: Biophilia, Montreal, Qc
September - Group exhibition, Photo Place Gallery: Essential water, Vermont, USA
July - Solo exhibition, Axart : Natatorium, Drummondville, Qc
Awards
2022
Bronze, Portfolio / Fine Art, Biophilia: Bifa - Budapest International Foto Awards
Honorable Mention, Fine Art / Nudes, Courant: TIFA 2022
Honorable Mention: Fine Art / Collage, Inner World: TIFA 2022
Honorable Mention, Fine Art / Portraits, Light and Shadow: Bifa - Budapest International Foto Awards
Honorable Mention, Fine Art / Collage. Inner World: Bifa - Budapest International Foto Awards
Nominee in the category: Diffusion, Galart, Culture Centre du Québec for the group exhibition of 5 artists: Parcours exploratoires
Honorable Mention, Fine Art Collage, Inner world: PX3 Prix de la photographie Paris
Honorable Mention, Photomanipulation, Inner world: Minimalist Photography Awards
Nominee, Photomanipulation, Inner world: FAPA - Fine Art Photography Awards
2021
Nominee, Essential Water: Theme: Water
Winner M5, Best Portfolio, Collège Marsan M5
Publications
2023
Minimalist Photography Awards' Annual Book 2022, Springs 2023, Photo: Inner world