Reminiscent of large-scale origami, Rana Begum’s (b. 1977, Sylhet/London) folds hover both high up on the wall and at eye level. Spray-painted with a contrast of vivid and subdued colors, all emit an even, reflective glow. For No. 415, L Fold, the viewer is faced with an opulent turquoise blue encompassed by three inclining folds of brilliant white, the reverses of which are coated with a fluorescent orange so sharp that its glow reflects ethereally onto the wall behind. Instead of an organized assemblage on one wall, for GB11 Begum’s works are shown intermittently within one gallery. This sporadic distribution creates not only a variety of angles, aspects, and perspectives for the viewer, but also a simultaneous cadence and rhythm which pulsates throughout the gallery, creating dialogues with the other works present.
In Begum’s work, spatial and rhythmic exploration often finds form through sculpture. Scale, combined with the heavy-duty industrial building materials of her work, conveys a sense of functionality and utility familiar to city dwellers. However, the pastel-colored spray paint, while accentuating the works’ spatial intricacies, also emits a subtle, ephemeral quality that resonates with the pastoral. Begum’s works seduce the viewer with opulent colors and rigorous folds. By moving around the sculpture the viewer is rewarded by a multifaceted experience as angles and colors interact.
Often described as a minimalist, Begum also draws her inspiration from Islamic art. Growing up in Sylhet, Bangladesh, these elaborate geometries provided the backdrop to her childhood. Her works may be seen as a playful dialogue with light: the polished surfaces of her sculptures sport contrasting color combinations which both reflect and absorb daylight, generating a light scale of their own. MW
self-presentation:
The work of London-based artist Rana Begum focuses on spatial and visual engagement, while reflecting more universal feelings of presence and contemplation. Through her sophisticated language of Minimalist abstraction, Begum blurs the boundaries between sculpture, painting, and architecture. Begum’s visual language takes a plethora of forms drawn from London’s clamoring cityscape along with geometric patterns of traditional Islamic art and architecture and distills them into something that feels pure and unadulterated. Begum credits light as a fundamental part of her creative process. Infinitely shifting and changing, these multi-faceted works absorb and reflect varied densities of light producing an experience for the viewer, which is both temporal and sensorial. Begum skillfully gives physical form to serendipitous moments of fleeting beauty. Properties of color, material, light, movement, and form activate her abstract sculptures and reliefs, bringing a sense of infinite order to her work.
Rana Begum has had solo shows at Parasol Unit and Bischoff/Weiss, London; The Third Line, Dubai; Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne; Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai; and Galeri Mana, Istanbul.
Begum received the Jack Goldhill Award for Sculpture at the Royal Acadamy of Arts, Great Britain in 2013.
