About the Artist

Rana Begum was born in Bangladesh in 1977 and is currently based in London. She is known for her abstract and geometric style. 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’s work explores the dynamic relationship between light and color. She blurs the boundaries between sculpture, painting, and architecture. Begum is influenced by the geometric abstraction of minimalism and constructivism from the works of artists such as Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Tess Jaray, Josef, and Anni Albers. She primarily works with industrial materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, glass, and wood, to make sculptures and reliefs. Light reflects and absorbs on fluorescent-colored surfaces to create changing perspectives as viewers around her works and the space they inhabit.

Begum's use of repetitive geometric patterns found within Islamic art and industrial cityscapes is illuminated by childhood memories of the rhythmic repetition of daily recitals of the Qur’an. She incorporates the setting of her work into the message and final piece, showing her unique, all-encompassing style. She is inspired by Islamic architecture and traditional styles, merging them with abstract and geometric patterns.