Rana Begum

30 Apr-6 Jun 2021

Overview

Born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, in 1977 not long after the country’s formation in 1971, she has lived in the UK since 1985 and studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Slade School. Begum describes an early experience that informed her sense of pattern, light and colour as being ‘one particular day as a child in Bangladesh reading the Quran at the local mosque, in a tiny room dappled with morning light. The light and the repetition of recitation, all familiar elements, suddenly came together in a strong feeling of calm and exhilaration. It is one of my strongest memories and the experience of calm and exhilaration is what I try to capture in my work’. Sharing her unique and sophisticated understanding of composition and response, Begum will curate an individual selection of sculpture, painting and drawing from the 8,000 works held in the Arts Council Collection alongside work by exciting emerging artists active in the UK, not yet in any public collections. An artist book will accompany the exhibition.