Rasheed Araeen B.1935

Place: Karachi

Born: 1935

Biography:

Rasheed Araeen is a Karachi-born, London-based conceptual artist, sculptor, painter, writer, and curator. He graduated in civil engineering from the NED University of Engineering and Technology in 1962, and has been working as a visual artist bridging life, art, and activism since his arrival in London from Pakistan in 1964.

Early Career

Araeen's artistic career began with minimalism and conceptual art. His early works, such as Chakras (1969–1970) and Zero to Infinity (1968–2004), were process-based and open to transformation by "the creative energy of the collective". These concepts would make ripple effects throughout his career, both formally and politically. Araeen's work has been influenced by various art movements, including Cubism, Dada, and Postcolonialism.

Notable Works

Some of Araeen's notable works include Paki Bastard, Portrait of The Artist as a Black Person (1977), which used video projection, live performance, and sound to address issues of identity, representation, and racial violence. He also created the concept of Disco Sailing (1970–74), a new form between floating sculpture and dance. This work was revisited and resurrected many times through the decades and performed most recently at Garage Museum in Moscow in 2019.

Exhibitions and Publishing

Araeen has participated in numerous international exhibitions, including Documenta 14 in 2017. He is also the founder of the journal Third Text, which deals with art, the Third World, Postcolonialism, and ethnicity. Araeen's artistic activity has been complemented by writing and publishing, and he has spoken about his own journal Third Text as an attempt to "demolish the boundaries that separate art and art criticism".

• Notable exhibitions: Les Magiciens de la Terre (1989), 2nd Johannesburg Biennale (1997), 11th Biennale of Sydney (1998), 9th Shanghai Biennale (2012), and 57th Venice Biennale (2017).
• Notable publications: Araeen's contributions to Third Text, including "From Primitivism to Ethnic Arts / & / Why Third Text?" and "Our Bauhaus Others' Mudhouse".

Legacy

Araeen's work has been recognized for its innovative use of materials, concepts, and themes. His legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists, and his contributions to the art world have been celebrated in various exhibitions and publications. As a conceptual artist, sculptor, painter, writer, and curator, Rasheed Araeen B.1935 remains an important figure in the contemporary art scene. https://Wikioo.org/@/Rasheed-Araeen-B-1935 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasheed_Araeen