Can repetition itself be the answer to a repetitive, daily, mundanity? There’s something about repetitive acts that makes it easy for one to get lost—in counting prayer beads, doing monotonous household chores, or in Rana Begum’s case, repetitively painting lines and grids.

Rana explores the Sysiphian repetition in our metropolitan lives, showcasing how it can be offset by introducing a different kind of repetition, almost spiritual. She makes this minimalist, abstract work by using an industrial material such as aluminium, alluding to time perception through the lens of labour. Rana finds repetition in art as calming and creates an essence of peaceful endlessness. While the daily 9-to-5 in office spaces is often seen as strictly quantified and fitting in boxed schedules, using colour and geometry instils a meditative peace in the viewer. The narrative produced encourages mindfulness and reflection on our consumption of time in the space we occupy.

Furthermore, there is a personal and nostalgic element that can be decoded through the pastel colour palette. Other than echoing serenity, the first and last colours resemble that of rhubarb and custard. It is a staple British household sweet, with roots in Asia. Having grown up in Bangladesh before shifting to London at a young age, her work draws inspiration from her life experiences. No. 1114 Painting reflects Begum’s fond memories of the dynamic and constantly shifting city life of London and the rituals of repetitive and soulful praying in Bangladesh. She carries and expresses her hybrid identity in her unique and graceful works of art.