Mercer Hanau

Mercer Hanau is a Seattle-based artist specializing mainly in printmaking, video, and digital art. She grew up in Portland, OR and graduated from Whitman College with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Film and Media Studies in 2018. Her work draws inspiration from intersections of science and culture, often featuring animals and plants with a sense of reverence and surreality. Her work has exhibited at shows and live performances in Washington, Oregon, and New Jersey as well as online exhibitions.

In Summer 2020, Mercer explored the 19th-century photographic technique of cyanotype (AKA “sun prints”) during a residency at the Shoreline Art Cottage at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. The work explores relationships between pollinators, agriculture, and the local Salish Sea ecosystem. Since the residency, Mercer has continued to create cyanotypes (when sufficient sunlight is available) in addition to relief prints and zines.