Rana Begum

Rana Begum was born in 1977 in Bangladesh, moving to Hertfordshire, England, in 1983. 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 is influenced by the geometric abstraction of minimalism and constructivism and the work of artists such as Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Tess Jaray, Josef and Anni Albers. She works with industrial materials, such as stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass, glass and wood to make sculptures and reliefs that explore geometry, colour and light. Light reflects and absorbs on fluorescent coloured surfaces to create changing sensations as viewers move in and around her works and the space they occupy. She is inspired by urban architecture and her childhood memories of the geometric patterns of traditional Islamic art and architecture. 

Begum's work has been internationally exhibited, with recent solo shows the Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, London, travelling from Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry (2022); Tate St Ives, Cornwall (2018); Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich (2017) touring to Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham (2018); Parasol Unit, London (2016); Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh (2014); Delfina Foundation, London (2010). In 2017 Begum curated the Arts Council Collection in an exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and was awarded the Abraaj prize, Art Dubai. She has undertaken residencies in Italy, Philippines, Beirut, Bangkok and England. 

Recent group exhibitions include: Desert X, California (2023); Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield (2021); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2019); The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington (2018); Frieze Sculpture Park, London (2018); Royal Academy of Arts, London (2018 and 2012); Kettle's Yard, Cambridge (2018 and 2016); Gemeente Museum, Den Haag, The Netherlands (2016); 11th Gwangju Biennale, Korea (2016); Museum Angewandte Kunst, Vienna (2015); Long Museum, Shanghai (2015).

Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including the Government Art Collection, London; Arts Council Collection, London; British Council, London; Sainsbury Visual Art Centre, Norwich; University of the Arts, London; Collection Pictet, Geneva; Simons Foundation; New York; Taubman Museum of Art, West Virginia; Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Arts, India; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, India; Rajshree Pathy Collection, India; Samdani Collection; Bangladesh; Farjam Collection, Dubai; Abraaj, Dubai and MONA, Tasmania.

Cristea Roberts Gallery published Begum's first editions in 2018.

Rana Begum lives and works in London, England.