No.586 W Fold

Rana Begum (1977 - )

Paint on 12mm birch ply

2015

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  • About the work

    Zinging with colour, each of these small sculptures by Rana Begum consist of pieces of plywood constructed so as to appear as if they have been folded. Despite the solidity of each W Fold sculpture, there remains a sense of precariousness, a feeling that at any moment they might topple and fall. 

    The starting point for the sculptures are journeys that Begum makes as she navigates cities and urban environments. As she moves through a space, she notices the changing relationships between forms, colours and light, and she is interested in distilling these visual and spatial relationships into ordered forms, like the ones presented here. She is interested in how – as the viewer moves around the work – each sculpture provides alternative viewpoints of the same object, just as in everyday life we maintain or change our viewpoints of a subject at any given moment. As with much of her work, there is a potent sense of plurality – inviting us to ponder whether these are sculptures, paintings, architectural forms or, in fact, all three. 

    Begum’s work is influenced by the abstract forms of 20th century Minimalist art, as well as by the geometric patterns of traditional Islamic art and architecture. In an interview with art website, Inigo Art, in May 2017, Begum talked about the impact of colour and the urban environment on her work:

    'I draw inspiration from what I see in the streets. I love the way colours and form clash or interact with each other. On city streets, choice of colour is rarely made by considering how it relates to the building next door…'

  • About the artist
    Rana Begum graduated with an MFA from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1999, going on to receive an MFA in Painting at the Slade School in 2002. She was born in Bangladesh and spent the early years of her life there, before moving to the UK with her family. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions internationally, including at Concrete, Dubai, UAE (2023); Pitzhanger Manor, UK; and the Moody Centre for the Arts at Rice University in Houston, USA (2022); Mead Gallery, UK (2021), Wanås Konst, Sweden, (2021); Tate St Ives, Cornwall, UK (2018) following the Tate St Ives Artists Programme residency at Porthmeor Studios; Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham, UK (2018); and Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, UK (2017). Her work has been included in various group exhibitions including at Desert X, Palm Springs, USA (2023); The Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh (2023 and 2020) the Folkestone Triennial, Kent, UK (2021); Kettles Yard, Cambridge, UK (2018); Gemeente Museum, Den Haag, Netherlands; and The 11th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, Korea (both 2016).
  • Explore
    Places
    Subjects
    abstract
    Materials & Techniques
    plywood, paint, wood sculpture
  • Details
    Title
    No.586 W Fold
    Date
    2015
    Medium
    Paint on 12mm birch ply
    Dimensions
    height: 51 cm, width: 40 cm, depth: 31.5 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Bischoff/Weiss Gallery, March 2016
    Inscription
    on base: No. 586 R Begum 2015
    Provenance
    Bischoff/Weiss, London
    GAC number
    18683