Rashid Rana’s 'Red Carpet 1,' one of the most iconic works in the history of contemporary art, plays upon our expectations by re-appropriating traditional Eastern aesthetic principles by picturing time-based subject matter on a flat surface. In its construction, Red Carpet 1 contradicts Western perceptions of Eastern art being handmade since it is digitally generated, and it plays upon these expectations by employing the imagery of an intricate Persian carpet. Simultaneously, it re-appropriates traditional Eastern aesthetic principles by picturing photographs of a slaughterhouse in Lahore on a flat surface. These formal aspects merge with the poignant subject matter to comment on violence, death, destruction, and existence. Not selling ‘Otherness’, it documents binaries by creating a dialogue between two kinds of ideas through juxtapositions. The critical engagement with the notion of identity is a new identity in itself.
Prof. Risham Syed presents “Home” from the “Text and Context” series. She shares that this painting holds profound significance, representing a pivotal moment in her practice. Created for her first important degree presentation at London’s Royal College of Arts, it marked a new direction, exploring colonial history and connecting personal narratives to global contexts. By juxtaposing a 90-year-old photograph of her maternal grandfather with a map of London and Lahore, she aimed to connect past and present, contextualizing her Punjabi-Victorian upbringing.
