Prior to their installation in The Library at Willesden Green, these works were all in Araeen’s studio, in the heart of Brent, often listed as one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK. Following his own thinking about the way in which art can constitute the basis of civilisation, to understand the works in this context is to be alert to the need to see and appreciate the myriad of cultural contributions made by all those who inhabit this place. To do this with conviction and sincerity is to rejuvenate our contemporary world.
Rebecca Heald, 2020
The Library at Willesden Green presents two large-scale works by artist Rasheed Araeen responding to its physical spaces and its civic role as a space for research, cultural discourse and exchange.
'Zero to Infinity' an interactive work comprising thirty-six brightly coloured lattice cubes will be presented in a regular flat grid formation next to the children's area. Made to be handled by children, the public will be encouraged to move and reconfigure the work.
In the spaces usually used to read newspapers and periodicals, 'Reading Room' will be an installation containing seating and table structures that will house the first one hundred issues of 'Third Text'.
Established by Araeen in Brent in 1987, the seminal journal was at the forefront of debates exploring art, culture and postcolonialism for over two decades.
A curated exhibition in the galleries on the ground floor will display a selection of geometric paintings and drawings that reference and pay homage to Arabic poets and philosophers situated in non-western modernities and thought.
The works highlight the breadth of Araeen's rich art practice, and the significant contributions he has made to how we view, discuss and position ourselves in relation to art and its histories.
19 September - 13 December 2020
OPENING TIMES:
Monday to Friday, 10:30 - 14:30
Saturday and Sunday, 12.00 - 16:00
The Library at Willesden Green
95 High Road
Willesden
London NW10 2SF
