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So, what brought a young man with an architecture degree from Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan) University from the Big Smoke of the GTA to the hills of Bancroft? Well, it was the physical beauty of the North Hastings area that he as a photographer and videographer found attractive—plus the desire of community and the calmer, less rat-race driven lifestyle that is found here. His day job at Cicada, a creative agency in Etobicoke specializing in renderings, video, animation and interactive content allows him to work remotely and apply the myriads of artistic skills he has amassed over the years. This flexibility was a key factor in enabling him to make the big move up here. His home is no stranger to Studio Tour as it was the former residence and gallery of artist Cheryl Ellenberger. Furthermore, when his artisan mother, Joanna Hankus, who makes mosaics and quilts—moved in with him for a time, she discovered and connected them up with the studio tour from 2022—with Michael participating last year for the first time as a guest and this year as the primary artist. He is also the one who has been handling the social media promotion for the tour since getting involved. Hankus grew up in Burlington, Ontario, but he has spent a lot of his time out in Wisconsin and Poland where more of his family is situated. He moved through the two lower levels of the education system before pursuing architecture in university – a field that merges his technical and artistic sides. He dipped into the creative realm with piano lessons as a small child. He followed that up with training on the guitar; then bass and eventually drums. He has engaged with several bands throughout his life, some even being fully remote and international. He also took on music recording production and audio engineering for himself and bands in the GTA as well as up here. Various family members’ passion for photography and video inspired him to explore the medium himself. His grandfather spent his life documenting history and family, while his mother followed suit with a DSLR camera, and his father was always equipped with a video camera to capture candid moments and travels. Their influence led him to delve into “the artistic documentation of life and moments,” which is central to his photographic portfolio. One of his earliest memories in photography involves borrowing his mother’s camera to take a close-up shot of a frog. The surprising results ignited his interest and motivated him to pursue photography further. Prior to that, a photography summer camp taught him basic shooting and film processing. And this all helped shape involvement in the craft that is an element of his work and the centre of his artistic passion. Early work involvements revolved around the digital rendering of buildings and their locations—skills he has enhanced considerably |
with the ongoing leaps in programming and rendering that become available and that he cultivates. He began working full time at cicada in 2017—after a summer internship in 2016. (He had previously completed a summer internship in Poland in 2015 in architecture.) As a photo artist, Hankus leans into “capturing the moment” and documenting what he sees all around him—not just with his still camera but in videos—exploring themes such as landscapes and buildings (portraits of homes) occasionally people and music concerts. For the last two weekends of September, he will showcase framed prints of these captured moments at his exhibit. In addition to the physical prints, his work will also be displayed on screens, featured on tote bags, and some pieces will be available for a unique experience through virtual reality headsets. To connect with Michael Hankus, contact him over Instagram at @hankus_visual (Profile writing by Allan O’Marra / photo by Michael Hankus) |
