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Dimensions: measurements 100 by 236cm. alternate measurements 39 1/2 by 93in.
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Provenance: Albion Gallery, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
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Notes: Executed in 2007, this work is number 3 from an edition of 5.
Veil IV belongs to Rashid Rana's most critically acclaimed series of works that drew its inspiration from the urban environment of his home city of Lahore. It depicts a found newspaper image of five veiled Muslim women at a protest rally against un-Islamic dress and brings together in a single, powerful image all of the artist's abiding concerns regarding gender, race, the media and popular culture. Added to this is the work's underlying subversive content: as the viewer approaches the image it becomes clear that thousands of tiny pornographic images are digitally collaged to create the composite image in a pixelated x-rated mosaic. Rana's attention to the minutiae of the image here draws on the historical traditions of miniature painting from South Asia; in particular the influence of illuminated manuscripts and their dramatic synthesis of composition, surface, form, colour and scale. However, Rana's formal and conceptual departure from this traditional style and medium is distinctly his own. The stark contrast of the Muslim women in their traditional dress with the exposed nudity of the Western porn stars forces a powerful shift in focus between the poles of these two stereotypes and alludes to the great cultural divide between East and West. Fascinated by how meaning is often misunderstood in our media-oriented society, Rana's photographic practice cleverly creates images that offer an alternative view of how popular ideas and prejudices are created. Since his first solo exhibition in 2004 with Nature Morte gallery, Rana has become one of the leading figures within Mumbai's vibrant contemporary arts scene. Originally trained as a painter, Boston-educated Rana is best known for his photographs, videos and installations that tackle multiple issues including the politics of gender, violence and popular culture, as well as the authenticity of a work of art in the current media age of global distribution.
