• born in 1959 in Bihac, Bosnia
• immigrated to Toronto, Ontario in 1993
• B.F.A. Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia; M.F.A. University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

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Sadko Hadzihasanovic’s multimedia works are acrylic and oil portraits interspersed with collage, drawings, silk screen prints, and found objects. Engaging in humourous and satirical commentaries of North American consumer culture, Hadzihasanovic analyzes and deconstructs constructions of masculinity with imagery from popular culture. Through his use of wallpaper Hadzihasanovic questions stereotypes of masculinity and femininity and challenges the notion that women "naturally" gravitate toward the domestic realm. One of his wallpaper works, Life is Full of Complicated Decisions, uses a wallpaper background for a surface of doodling and the writing of media phrases. Silkscreened on top of this are the heads of male models in various haircuts. As Catherine Osborne observes, "Hadzihasanovic puts the delicacies of manhood front and centre, and layers his work with references from his immediate environment" (1998). The 50 Most Beautiful Guys in the World (1997) explores the nexus of ideal norms of manhood and consumerism and the way in which "manliness" is commodified to incite consumerism. In What Does Boy Want (1996), a mixed media representation of a young boy holding a toy water gun, Hadzihasanovic reflects upon the disturbing North American phenomenon of young boys playing with toys that seemingly condone and glorify violence. Fleeing from a country torn apart by ethnic conflict and strife, Hadzihasanovic finds such trends troubling, prompting him to interrogate the inherent violence of masculinity. "It’s very disturbing to me to see how acceptable violence is here," he has said, "especially because nobody in Canada truly understands what is happening in my former country. It is a horrific time and a terrible way for children to grow up. If I could make people stop buying toys that promote anger and aggression, I would, but I know I can’t control a whole country" (1996). In Hannibal Ante Portas (1993) Hadzihasanovic depicts a young boy on a wooden rocking horse, mounted on a pedestal. Intervening in the long western iconographic tradition of representing heroes poised for combat, Hadzhasanovic disrupts the celebration and veneration of violent historical figures.

Neutral Ground, Regina, Saskatchewan

Everything Must Go
Struts Gallery, Sackville, New Brunswick

Stupidity Is Kool
Artcite, Windsor, Ontario

A Space, Toronto, Ontario

Hannibal Ante Portas
Windows, Toronto, Ontario

Wonderland
Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Montréal, Québec

ARTIFICE 98, Contemporary Visual Art of Montréal
Galerie d'art centre Saidye Bronfman/Gallery of the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, Montréal, Québec

Drug Show
Toronto, Ontario

Open Studio, Toronto, Ontario

Wasteland, Obdam, Netherlands

Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto, Ontario

Emerging Artist Showcase
Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario

Velvet Fever and Other Kitsch Inclination
Artcite, Windsor, Ontario

Away
The OO Gallery, Halifax, Nove Scotia

Contemporary Yugoslav Painting
Art Gallery of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

"Artist-run culture." Mix-magazine (Spring 1998): n.p.

"Artist-run culture." Mix-magazine 22, no. 3 (Winter 1996-97): 21.

"The Drug Show." Artfocus 6, no. 2 (Spring/Summer 1998): 17-18.

"Fast forward." Canadian Art 15, no. 2 (Summer 1998): 25-26.

Fischer, Nathalie-Rose. "Sharp show burst the bubble of machismo." Now Magazine (12- 18 December 1996): n.p.

Fortin, Sylvie. "Emerging artists showcase." Parachute 85 (Winter 1997): 85-86.

Hanna, Dieter. "Highly recommended." Now Magazine (14 September 1997): n.p.

Harwood, Andrew. "Where's the fruit." Fuse 19, no.2 (Winter 1995): 44-45.

Osborne, Catherine. "Men as boys: Paul Wong and Sadko Hadzihasanovic." Sadko Hadzihasanovic and Paul Wong. Toronto, Ontario: Open Studio Gallery, 1998.

Reid, Stuart. "Contemplating Tadzio's smile." Artichoke (Spring 1998): n.p.