When diabetes stood in the way of pursuing a career in boxing, Omar Hassan was not ready to put his gloves down.
Instead, the Milan-based Egyptian contemporary artist decided to use his talent and experience as a boxer to create art, combining painting and performance ... and the result is incredible.
Hassan puts on his gloves, dips them in paint, and punches white canvases to create murals
Born in Milan in 1987 to an Italian mother and an Egyptian father, Hassan has had a knack for art since childhood, with a special interest in street art.
He also found passion in boxing, training as a professional boxer for 10 years before being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, after which he could no longer officially compete.
So, he decided to invest all his energy in art, studying at the Brera Academy of Arts in Milan.
Drawing inspiration from artists like Italian painter Lucio Fontana and American Jackson Pollock, he has been presenting solo exhibitions all around the world since 2009.
Hassan's work has gained international attention, especially his Breaking Through series.
The series features paintings created with a distinctive technique, in which Hassan dips his boxing gloves into an array of colorful paint pots and punches onto large white canvases.
What does this art-form mean to him? "[It is] a very physical display of strength, revenge, and cathartic energy," according to Hassan.
Throughout his work, Hassan stays true to his identity as a boxer, an artist, and a young man living with diabetes.
When asked whether his art helped him accept his misfortunes, Hassan told StepFeed, "I did not become an artist as a result of my frustrations."
He went on to explain, "I am an artist because I have a strong will to communicate my feelings and my way of life."
As for the message he aims to send through his work:
"I use a lot of colors because I think it is the easier way to touch the feelings of everyone. I think every artist has the intellectual responsibility to show off different points of view to the world."