Hearthside

Hearthside is an installation of a new body of work by British-Bengali artist Mohammed Z. Rahman, presented over six days, in collaboration with Oitij-jo, meditating on hospitality, food knowledge, ecosystems and the emotional power of the dinner table to foster solidarities. Interpreting embodied culinary knowledge, reflections on food supply chains, and teeming moments of community, Rahman communicates their alchemical, magically alive gastronomical universe through paint, sculpture, and installation. Rahman's self-taught painting practice shares its DNA with when they began cooking in their teens as part of a working-class Bengali family living in London. Their culinary vocabulary consists of diasporic interpretations of their ancestral Sylheti cuisine, English classics, and their enmeshment in the kaleidoscopic, ever-creolising cuisines of London's migrant communities. Politically, Rahman makes visible the care, labour, and regionality/globality of food in a bid to humanise and unite in a socio-political moment characterised by steepening divides. Inspired by Islamic notions of hospitality and internationalist notions of solidarity, Rahman considers the role of food as a vehicle for redistribution, spiritual renewal, and radical kindness. About Mohammed Z. Rahman Mohammed Z. Rahman(he/they) is a British-Bengali artist based in London and represented by Phillida Reid. His work puts socio-political and personal histories in conversation through the lens of the domestic. With a background in social anthropology (BA, SOAS), Mohammed approaches his practice as a visionary, intimate and political force putting the ordinary and fantastical at play in explorations of dreamworlds, globality, queerness, biography and socio-historical perspectives. Mohammed is an awardee of the Tate Frieze Fund 2024 and the UK Government Art Collection London Gallery Weekend Fund. Oitij-jo fosters collaboration among creative practitioners to boost British-Bengali interaction globally. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress by connecting cultures, fostering innovative narratives, and celebrating the rich heritage of the Bengali diaspora since 2013. Oitij-jo are driving positive social and economic change through connecting cultures which support innovative narratives. Oitij-jo is providing leadership with an aim to enhance opportunities for talented British/Bangla creators & women for employment and entrepreneurship. Oitij-jo are shaping strategic relationships through critical discourse which add value to long-term cultural developments.

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