Rana Begum at Lehmann Maupin: A First New York Solo Show

Rana Begum's first solo exhibition in New York is on view at Lehmann Maupin's Chelsea gallery through October 24, 2026. Born in Bangladesh in 1977 and now based in London, Begum earned a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1999 and an MFA in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2002. For two decades she has built a visual language out of repetition and abstraction.

Light sits at the center of her practice, serving as both subject and medium. Her sculptural works absorb, reflect and alter their surroundings, and because she often uses industrial materials and reflective surfaces, they change as viewers move or as conditions shift. She draws on geometric abstraction, with Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Mary Martin, Sol LeWitt and Tess Jaray among her reference points, as well as on the urban environment and the geometric motifs of Islamic art and architecture. Symmetry and rhythm point toward the infinite and create contemplative space.

The Louvre series is a major strand of the show. Its starting point is the louvre, a plain element found in ventilation panels, façades and blinds across cities. Roughly a decade of experimentation and research led to works that explore permeability. Made in metal, stone and glass, they test how each material responds to light. Wall-mounted or suspended, they convey differing degrees of weight, density and fragility, sometimes seeming ethereal and elusive before settling into firmer, more solid forms. Titles on view include No. 1462, No. 1464 and No. 1465 Louvre (all 2025), alongside T Reflector and L Reflector wall and sculptural works from 2019 to 2025.

One piece stands out: No. 1272 Chainlink (2023), first made for a group show at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Curtains of red and blue powder-coated chain-link fencing hang from the ceiling. Up close and from different angles, the overlapping layers alternate between dense color and lacy transparency.

The show follows Begum's U.S. museum debut at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah. Her recent projects include a commission for the Climate Clock art trail in Oulu, Finland, and a place in an outdoor sculpture exhibition at Kew Wakehurst in Sussex with works by Henry Moore. New commissions are due this fall at the Ismaili Center in Houston and Towner Eastbourne. Her site-specific work for the Art of Islamic Cultures Gallery at the MFA Boston remains on permanent view. The gallery is at 501 West 24th Street and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM. WP330 (2019), made with reflective tape on paper, is available for $5,000.