Rana Begum is a distinguished artist based in London, celebrated for her exceptional talent in translating immersive spatial and visual experiences into meticulously organized forms. With a striking blend of sculpture, painting, and architectural elements, she employs a refined approach to Minimalist abstraction that captivates the viewer’s imagination.
Her work is deeply influenced by the dynamic nature of urban landscapes, as well as the intricate geometric patterns found in traditional Islamic art and architecture. This fusion gives rise to a unique visual language that is both captivating and complex, inviting viewers to engage with her creations on multiple levels.
Light plays an integral role in Begum’s artistic exploration; her artworks are designed to absorb and reflect varying intensities of light, resulting in a dynamic temporal experience that shifts as viewers interact with them. Begum’s journey in art began with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design, which she completed in 1999, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the esteemed Slade School of Fine Art in 2002. Today, she resides and creates in London, continuing to enrich the contemporary art scene with her innovative and thought-provoking works.
Rana Begum was born in 1977 in Bangladesh, moving to Hertfordshire, England, in 1983. Begum studied painting at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of London, graduating in 1999 and received an MA in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 2002.
Begum is influenced by the geometric abstraction of minimalism and constructivism and the work of artists such as Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Tess Jaray, Josef and Anni Albers. She works with industrial materials, such as stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass, glass and wood to make sculptures and reliefs that explore geometry, colour and light. Light reflects and absorbs on fluorescent coloured surfaces to create changing sensations as viewers move in and around her works and the space they occupy. She is inspired by urban architecture and her childhood memories of the geometric patterns of traditional Islamic art and architecture.
Begum’s work has been internationally exhibited, with recent solo shows the Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, London, travelling from Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry (2022); Tate St Ives, Cornwall (2018); Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich (2017) touring to Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham (2018); Parasol Unit, London (2016); Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh (2014); Delfina Foundation, London (2010). In 2017 Begum curated the Arts Council Collection in an exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and was awarded the Abraaj prize, Art Dubai. She has undertaken residencies in Italy, Philippines, Beirut, Bangkok and England.
Recent group exhibitions include: Desert X, California (2023); Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield (2021); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2019); The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington (2018); Frieze Sculpture Park, London (2018); Royal Academy of Arts, London (2018 and 2012); Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge (2018 and 2016); Gemeente Museum, Den Haag, The Netherlands (2016); 11th Gwangju Biennale, Korea (2016); Museum Angewandte Kunst, Vienna (2015); Long Museum, Shanghai (2015).
Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including the Government Art Collection, London; Arts Council Collection, London; British Council, London; Sainsbury Visual Art Centre, Norwich; University of the Arts, London; Collection Pictet, Geneva; Simons Foundation; New York; Taubman Museum of Art, West Virginia; Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Arts, India; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, India; Rajshree Pathy Collection, India; Samdani Collection; Bangladesh; Farjam Collection, Dubai; Abraaj, Dubai and MONA, Tasmania.
Cristea Roberts Gallery published Begum’s first editions in 2018.
Rana Begum lives and works in London, England.
BIO
The work of London-based artist Rana Begum distils spatial and visual experience into ordered form. Through her refined language of Minimalist abstraction, Begum blurs the boundaries between sculpture, painting and architecture. Her visual language draws from the urban landscape as well as geometric patterns from traditional Islamic art and architecture. Light is fundamental to her process. Begum’s works absorb and reflect varied densities of light to produce an experience for the viewer that is both temporal and sensorial.
Born in Bangladesh in 1977, Rana Begum lives and works in London. In 1999, Begum graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design, and in 2002 gained an MFA in Painting from Slade School of Fine Art.
EDUCATION
- 2002 Slade School of Fine Art, London.
MFA in Painting
- 1999 Chelsea College of Art and Design, London.
BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree (Painting)
- 1996 University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire.
BTEC Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design.
