Aspects of Geometry: Art Dubai [In London]

Rasheed Araeen (b.1935) is a pioneer of minimalism and a colossal figure in South Asian and Western art. A champion of black artists in Britain from the 1960s onwards, his influence and importance within the landscape of 20^th century art cannot be overstated. Inspired by his background as an engineer, calligraphic forms, geometry and Islamic history.

"Geometry was already profoundly expressed by Arab/Muslim artists more than a thousand years ago. This fact must now be recognised within the narratives of modern art history by making a connection between twentieth century geometric abstraction and the achievements of the Islamic civilisation."

"Stemming from my interest in the myriad contradictions that inform human behaviour, the path, or ‘Siraat’, has come to inform some of my recent work. Following this notion of the path, I take reference from the everyday 'Maps' that we see around us, both the physical markings and the non-physical realm of the mind.

"My laborious rendering of countless dots coming together as units to form an idea on surface is based on the ‘Nuqta’ or dot symbolizing infinity. The dots join to form a line, which becomes a single, self-perpetuating medium of self-realization."