Rana Begum talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work.
Begum was born in Bangladesh in 1977, came to the UK when she was eight years old and now lives and works in London. She distils everything she does into three essential elements—light, colour and form. From them, she conjures a distinctive array of works that often sit between sculpture, painting and architecture.
Rana Begum, No.1367 Mesh, 2024, Powder-coated galvanised steel mesh © Rana Begum RA and Kate MacGarry, London
Pallant HouseGallery/Taran Wilkhu
She draws on influences that vary from canonic Modernist sculptors and painters to historic designs in the Qur’an and Islamic architecture. And she reflects on lived experiences, including growing up in rural Bangladesh and negotiating the London cityscape. Though they may take simple, tangible shape on first impressions, her creations engage the space around them and the senses of her audience in often surprising ways, creating a profound and finely balanced connection between object, environment and viewer.
She discusses how her early experiences of reading the Qur’an and the illuminations within it continue to affect her work today. She explains her newfound fascination with J.M.W. Turner, particularly his late paintings. She reflects on how she discovered Anni Albers later than her husband Josef, but how she has since influenced her work. Plus. she gives insight into life in the studio and rituals she adheres to, and answers our usual questions, including “What is art for?”.
Rana Begum at Kate MacGarry, London, until 26 October
Courtesy of the artist and Kate MacGarry, London. Photo: Angus Mill
- Rana Begum, Kate MacGarry, London, until 26 October; No.1367 Mesh, Pallant House, Chichester, UK; No. 1387 Fence, The Verbier 3-D Foundation, Verbier, Switzerland.
This podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app.
The free app offers access to a vast range of international cultural organisations through a single download, with new guides being added regularly. They include numerous UK museums and galleries that have shown and collected Rana Begum’s work, from Tate to The Box Plymouth and Pallant House Gallery, where she has an installation, No.1367 Mesh, above the staircase. In 2018, Rana showed her coloured glass structure, No. 814, in Frieze Sculpture, the annual outdoor exhibition in Regent’s Park in London organised by the Frieze London art fair. Bloomberg Connects is the official guide for this year’s Frieze Sculpture, and if you download it, you will discover audio content in which each artist discusses their work in the park. Among the artists are Zanele Muholi and a former guest on the A brush with… podcast, Theaster Gates.