Always elegant, and at times cheeky, Rana Begum’s art is a delight to experience. Her new monograph—subtitled Space Light Colour—published by Lund Humphries is no different. With a cover that looks like it’s still wet with spray paint, the book is filled with Begum’s vibrant drawings, paintings, furniture, light sculptures, and installations. “I’m pleased with how the monograph has become an object in its own right. Making the cover was one of my favourite parts for that reason too,” she says.
Through the book, you can’t help but notice the influences that inform Begum’s work. From childhood memories of sunlight falling on rice fields and rivers in Bangladesh, and the rich colours and geometry of Islamic mosques, shrines, and palaces to the minimalist paintings of Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley, and Sol LeWitt, her aesthetic is a beautiful mingling of Eastern and Western worlds.
Beyond her studio practice, she is renowned for her large, immersive public art projects. “Art objects in space work with your imagination, triggering things that are beyond visual perception,” says the artist who loves experimenting with scale. Be it her strongly patterned wall pieces that decorate King’s Cross Station, colourful glass panels, or her sprawling installations, Begum continuously blurs the boundaries between painting, design, and architecture.
Today, Rana Begum is a minimalist of her own kind. “For me, the monograph is a way of reflecting on my practice and the different types of work I’ve made over the last 10 to 15 years. It’s helpful to see where my work has been and the new directions it’s heading in,” says the artist, who will be the subject of a major exhibition ‘Rana Begum: Dappled Light’ at the Warwick Arts Centre’s Mead Gallery in Coventry from 13 January to 13 March 2022.
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