Rasheed Araeen
RASHEED ARAEEN (Pakistani, b. 1931)
Al-Gazali-Al-Gazali-Al-Gazali-Al-Gazali
2010-11Emulsion Paint on Canvas
45 x 70 in.
A Pakistani born, London-based conceptual artist, sculptor, painter, writer, and curator. He has been working as a visual artist bridging life, art and activism since his arrival in London in 1964.
From the Homecoming series, the work pays homage to the philosopher Al-Ghazali (1058-1111). An engineer by training, born and raised in Pakistan and currently living in the UK, Araeen is a pioneer of minimalist sculptures, known also for his political performance art, photography and painting. His life’s ambition has been to re-humanize the existence of people. This series produced in Karachi, Pakistan after his return in 2010, references famous philosophers of the Abbasid era (8th to 13th century) and their history that has been submerged under the weight of Western culture worldwide.