Preview: 14 & 15 November 2022
The Third Line is pleased to announce its participation in the 14th edition of Abu Dhabi Art 2022 with a solo presentation of new works by London-based artist Rana Begum. The works on view expand on Begum’s ongoing exploration into light, reflection, material and colour.
Taking inspiration from the Islamic World, modern urban landscapes and her own childhood memories, the works on view offer an immersive and visual experience that embraces viewers. Begum’s work is simultaneously experimental in aesthetic and precise in technique; she challenges the accepted notions of materiality and spatial conduct. The presentation includes an ethereal cloud installation, large-scale paintings and smaller works on paper. Using a variety of medium, the artist has united her work in a fluid dialogue that is consistently abstract, whilst exploring notions of light, colour and repetition.
Adorning the walls are two multi-coloured canvas pieces – No. 1190 Painting (2022) and No. 1191 Painting (2022) – which are composed of multiple layers of spray-painted dots that mimic the appearance of dappled light emerging through the leaves of a tree’s canopy.
Developed in response to these multi-coloured spray-painted dot works is the centrepiece to this presentation – a colourful mesh installation suspended within the space. No. 1189 Mesh (2022) is a three-dimensional interpretation of the canvas works and is composed of 11 mesh forms of different colours placed inside one another appearing as weightless clouds floating in mid-air. The installation invites viewers to walk around it, experiencing the shift in light with every step.
A series of delicate watercolours juxtapose the bold sculpture and continue this compelling journey through Begum’s diverse practice. Ethereal hand painted flecks of colour dance across gridded paper and create monochromatic patterns where tonal changes imitate that of dappled light.
