Divali

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

This painting is a celebration of Divali (Diwali), the Hindu festival of lights, which includes the artist’s Hindu and Sikh friends in the UK context. Rahman introduces an element of surrealism to the scene by juxtaposing an evening dining scene and summer noon sky. The artist also creates a contrast between life and death, blossom and decay through juxtaposing the dinner-table scene, full of life, with the landscape beyond. The scene takes place within a three-walled structure similar to a stage set, highlighting the precarious nature of such gatherings, and the need to actively create and uphold the conditions for celebration, community and solidarity.

Laid out on the table is a vegetarian meal consisting of South Asian dishes, including saag paneer, samosas, biryani and tofu curry, which the artist has historically prepared for the Divali feast. On the wall on the left hand of the image is a picture depicting a scene from the ancient epic text Ramayana. In it, Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana triumphantly return from their exile through a dark forest that is lit with diva lamps. On the opposite wall hangs a portrait of Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru in the Sikh faith, whose release from Mughal captivity under the emperor Akbar in 1619 is marked as part of the Sikh celebration Bandi Chhor Divas.

The row of objects in the foreground carry symbolic meanings, including references to wider histories of South Asian diasporas and the artist’s personal experience in relation to the festival. The banana branch gestures to Hindu-Muslim solidarity in memory of customary tributes given to neighbouring Hindu villages to the artist’s ancestral village in rural northeast Bangladesh. The shearling jacket alludes to the shared memory of migrants adjusting to colder climates. The bucket of extinguished sparklers speaks playfully to stories of less-than-desirable fire safety. The plate of roti and rice signals the power of food to unite dispersed communities.

Mohammed Z. Rahman is a British-Bengali visual artist based in London whose work puts socio-political and personal histories into conversation. Rahman’s visual output includes painting, installation, illustration and zines. With a background in social anthropology, Rahman's work interweaves personal, social and folk histories of migration, labour, queerness, family and class. Rahman’s paintings disturb conventions of domestic space and custom in favour of dream logic and moments of magical realism, excavating stories of overlooked figures and everyday resistance. Rahman's debut solo show of paintings and installation, City of Burrows, was held at Phillida Reid in spring 2023. This was followed by A Flame is a Petal in 2024 for London Gallery Weekend. He has previously worked on projects with institutions including the Whitechapel Gallery; Brent Biennial; Goethe-Institut; UCL Culture; Tate Modern; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; and V&A East. Rahman has also worked with grassroots arts organisations, including Metroland Cultures, Oitij-jo, gal-dem, Writing Our Legacy, Skin Deep Magazine, Wasafiri Magazine, Aire Place Studios and The Willowherb Review

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

Artist

Mohammed Rahman

Title

Divali

Date

2024

Medium

Divali - Acrylic on canvas - 2024

Dimensions

height: cm width: cm depth: cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Phillida Reid Ltd, August 2024

Provenance

Phillida Reid Ltd; from whom purchased by UK Government Art Collection, 09/08/2024

GAC number

19334