Rana Begum

Rana Begum blurs the distinctions between sculpture, painting, and architecture with her sophisticated language of Minimalist abstraction.

Biography of Rana Begum

Rana Begum was born in 1977 in Bangladesh. In 1983, she relocated to Hertfordshire, England.

In 1996, the artist received a BTEC Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design from the University of Hertfordshire. Three years later, in 1999, she graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design with a BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree in Painting. In 2002, Rana Begum obtained an MFA in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

In 2000, she received the Arts and Humanities Research Board award for postgraduate study. Rana Begum was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award in 2007, and in 2012, she received the Jack Goldhill Award for Sculpture from the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Rana Begum's artwork has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows. Her recent solo exhibitions include "Ordered Form" at St Albans Museum + Gallery and the University of Hertfordshire Arts and Culture in St Albans (2023), "Dappled Light" at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in London (2022), "Reflection on Colour and Form" at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London (2022), "Rana Begum" at Kate MacGarry in London (2021), "Perception and Reflection" at The Third Line in Dubai (2019), and many more.

Currently, the artist lives and works in London. 

Rana Begum's Art Style

Begum's artistic emphasis lies in the dynamic interplay of light and color, skillfully erasing distinctions between sculpture, painting, and architecture. Her utilization of repetitive geometric patterns, drawn from sources like Islamic art and the industrial cityscape, draws inspiration from childhood recollections of the rhythmic repetition in daily Qur'an recitals.

Influenced by the geometric abstraction of movements such as minimalism and constructivism, as well as artists like Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Jesús Rafael de Soto, and Tess Jaray, Begum's portfolio encompasses drawings, paintings, wall-based sculptures, and extensive public art projects. In her work, Rana Begum employs industrial materials, including stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, glass, and wood, to create sculptures and reliefs that explore the realms of geometry, color, and light.