Rana Begum's 'Taking Form' Exhibition in Dubai Explores Color's Dynamic Interactions

At the corners of Rana Begum’s new exhibition, 'Taking Form,' at The Third Line in Dubai, two swabs of color meet. In one piece, a bold, sunset-hued orange is dramatically overtaken by a smear of forest green. The remarkable aspect is how these colors interact without mixing, with the green subduing the orange, leaving only a faint trace of its outline. This piece, like others in the watercolor series, suggests that not all colors possess equal strength. The overpowering green finds a counterpart against a deep royal purple in another work, and in yet another, that same purple influences and is influenced by a luminous yellow.

Begum explores these color interactions across various mediums in 'Taking Form.' While the watercolors are the smallest works, they offer a crucial lens through which to appreciate the more monumental pieces. "I felt the show needed these works on paper," Begum shared with The National. "I’ve been thinking about the tapestries, about the paintings for a while. But it’s all kind of in my head, and I wanted to express that fluidity and the way I have been thinking about colour."

The exhibition's centerpiece features a trio of tapestry pieces suspended from the gallery's high ceiling. Similar to the watercolors, they showcase an interplay of colors, with stunning technical weaving. Dark indigo threads weave through pyramids of blue and burgundy hues. From a distance, the common threads are subtle, but up close, their connection becomes apparent. This interaction differs from the watercolors, suggesting a more cohesive relationship between the colors rather than a dominance hierarchy. "I took a whole to figure out how the colours would interact," Begum explained. "The piece, in the front, you see ridges. You stand on the left side, you see one colour that stands out more, and as you walk around to the right, you see another." The reverse side of the tapestries reveals its own unique pattern, a result of experimentation. "The weaving technique is really interesting and fascinating how that works," she noted. "I worked with a UK-based company Dash & Miller that designed the weave. They were able to come up with the ridges. We had to identify a different set of rules for the back. You could have just two colours or more, but it just can't be the same as what's at the front. The two sides are woven as one. There is a front, middle and back – but even on the back, you see some of the front seeping through. The process is really interesting."

The paintings in 'Taking Form' continue these color explorations on linen canvases and medium-density fibreboard. Here, Begum highlights the inherent properties of the materials through color. Shades of pink accentuate the chips and straws of the fibreboard, while colorful square triangle compositions enhance the linen's textures.

Despite her current fluidity with color interactions, Begum admitted to struggling with color early in her artistic journey, particularly when transitioning from figurative work to abstraction. "I really struggled with colour. I felt like I was kind of living and breathing colour, from the culture that I come from growing up, partly in Bangladesh, wearing saris and salwar kameez, constantly surrounded by colour. You’d think I’d be very confident, but actually, I really struggled when I went into abstraction. I had a long list of things that I needed to explore, and one of those things was colour." Her first solo exhibition at The Third Line in 2007, 'Colour Codes,' was a direct result of these explorations. "I used that opportunity to kind of really focus on colour and relationship with one another," she said. For that exhibition, Begum utilized various adhesive tapes collected globally, applying them in lines and coating them with resin to test color interactions. "That material gave me the opportunity to be more instinctive. I could peel the tape off and apply another colour. You could see things happening quite fast."

Nearly two decades later, 'Taking Form' marks Rana Begum's fifth exhibition at The Third Line. Now a globally recognized artist, winner of the 2017 Abraaj Group Art Prize, and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, this exhibition signifies the continuation of her long-standing fascination with color. Begum describes her fifth show at The Third Line as a "full circle" moment, reflecting her growth as an artist. She returns with increased confidence and certainty in her experimental approach, demonstrating a mastery over the colors that once presented a challenge.