Azeema, Hassan Hajjaj, Stephen Tayo and Wednesday Holmes

We are now officially in our third month of working from home here at It’s Nice That and the novelty of eating an entire loaf of banana bread, while leading a meeting in your pyjamas has somewhat worn off. We’re feeling the faint itch of boredom, the tedium that comes with absolute routine and monotony. Well, that was until we confirmed June’s Nicer Tuesdays Online line-up that is, because now we’re all fired up again!

Taking place once again over Zoom, we’re continuing the Nicer Tuesdays tradition of bringing you a diverse range of disciplines, sandwiched into one evening of creative talks. We’ll be hearing from artist Hassan Hajjaj, illustrator Wednesday Holmes, publication/platform/creative agencyAzeema,and photographer Stephen Tayo.

Hassan Hajjaj

Hassan Hajjajis an artist who works primarily across photography and filmmaking but his multifaceted practice includes portraiture, installation, fashion and furniture design. Originally from Larache, Morocco, Hassan splits his time between Marrakech and London where he runs a studio-cum-shop in Shoreditch. Well-known for this signature style, Hassan’s photographs depict his subjects through ornately detailed imagery, full of pattern and colour, taking cues from pop art in their frames of commercial products.

At Nicer Tuesdays, Hassan will be answering questions on his career to date and the details of his practice.

Wednesday Holmes

Based in Bristol,Wednesday Holmesis an illustrator whose practice is dedicated to providing a positive representation and a firm message in support of those with mental health or gender identifying issues. Having worked as an illustrator for a mere four years, Wednesday has already garnered a loyal following for their work and their activism surrounding these topics. At Nicer Tuesdays, Wednesday will be detailing how they use their Instagram to facilitate queer liberation while providing solace and educating others, as well as using it as a form of self-care. Having had their voice silenced as a queer artist in the past, Wednesday describes their Instagram as their “biggest project yet”.

Stephen Tayo

A few years ago, we became hooked on the work of Lagos-based photographerStephen Tayo. His Instagram was full of photographs depicting the people and scenes he encountered on his journeys throughout his home city, revealing the beauty and creativity that exists there. With a degree in philosophy, Stephen’s interest in the everyday goes far deeper than just surface level aesthetics though, and it’s a subject he still draws on heavily in his work as a fashion and documentary photographer. It’s this journey from philosophy to photography and the crossover between the two that Stephen will be focussing at June’s event.