Rasheed Araeen: Sixty-Three Years of the Figural

The exhibition is titled ‘Sixty-Three Years of the Figural‘ and features a curated and focused view of the figure in his practice, from early drawings to political works and performances. Works in the exhibition largely date from the 1970s and 1980s. Simultaneously historical work by Araeen as well as his minimalist Constructions have been exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery on Bury Street.

Rasheed Araeen’s seminal performance, Paki Bastard (Portrait of the Artist as a Black Person) was executed in 1977 at an exhibition staged by ‘Artists for Democracy’. The work was part of Araeen’s body of heavily political pieces, which began in 1973 with the collage work For Oluwale. The film consists of a montage of images of Asian immigrants on Brick Lane, interspersed with press cuttings describing race related attacks, portraits of Araeen’s family and of his minimalist structures. The film is set to a soundtrack including Handel’s Messiah, music from Bollywood films and racist chants by members of the National Front.