Rasheed Araeen

(Karachi, Pakistan, 1935)

Conceptual artist, painter, sculptor and art critic. Graduated in civil engineering from the NED University of Engineering and Technology, he joined the artistic avant-garde and experimented with lattice structures and construction materials. From a critical and activist position he has reflected on the cultural impact of colonialism in works such as Black Manifesto. In 1978, Araeen and poet Mahmood Jamal launched the magazine Black Phoenix, which laid the foundation for Third Text, a pioneering magazine tackling art, ethnicity and postcolonialism by deconstructing official accounts of modern art. His political commitment to multiculturalism has been reflected in his work. Rasheed Araeen has also curated important exhibitions making multicultural artistic practices visible, such as The Essential Black Art, Chisenhale Gallery (London, 1987) and The OtherStory: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain, Hayward Gallery (London, 1989).