TAKING THE ArTIsTIc rouTE
rAnA begum’s work will be exhibited At Art dubAi, mArch ’17
There’s a lot happening in the contemporary art scene in Bangladesh. And while the credit goes to two major art events — The Dhaka Art Summit and the Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh — the rise in the number of art galleries, centres and lounges in the country too, have contributed towards what’s being referred to as Bangladesh’s comeback in the art space. Interestingly, tourists have now begun to add visits to art galleries to their itineraries.
In March 2017, Dubai will get a chance to catch a glimpse of the works of one of Bangladesh’s well-known artists — Rana Begum, a Bangladeshi-British artist, who was recently named as the winner of the 2017 Abraaj Group Art Prize. The prize recognises notable artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia — the exhibition for the ninth edition of the prize will take place at Art Dubai, March 15-18, 2017. Rana currently lives and works in London and is represented by The Third Line (thethirdline.com) in Al Quoz, Dubai. Bands of deep colours, geometric patterns, minimalist aesthetic and visual play are just a few words that are often used to describe her critically acclaimed works of art.
Lodged between optical art and minimalism, her works draw inspiration from repetitive geometric patterns found within Islamic art and urban architecture. She has had held several solo exhibitions internationally, in the region and in Bangladesh, including The Space Between, Parasol Unit, London, UK (2016); Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2014); No.10, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2013). She has also participated in many international group exhibitions including The Language of Human Consciousness, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2014) and Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, UK (2012).