Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (b. 1977) is an Australian artist whose practice explores the different ways that memory can inhabit and emerge from familial spaces. Drawing on the narrative capacity of animal archetypes, crafted objects and the human presence, Abdullah aims to articulate physical dialogues between the natural world, politics and the agency of culture. While his own experiences as a Muslim Australian of mixed ethnicity provide a starting point, Abdullah negotiates shared understandings of individual identity, new mythologies and marginalised outlooks in a multicultural context. Living and working in rural Western Australia, Abdullah provides a unique perspective across intersecting and disparate communities. Working primarily in sculpture and installation, his work has been described as magic realism, creating poetic interventions with the space it occupies.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah graduated from Curtin University of Technology with a BFA in 2012. In recent years he has exhibited work at a variety of cultural institutes including the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Pataka Art + Museum (NZ), ACE Open, West Space, Campbelltown Art Centre, Fremantle Art Centre, John Curtin Gallery, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery and Alaska Projects. He is a current board member of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art and founding member of eleven collective.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah is commercially represented by Moore Contemporary.
Instagram: abdul_rahman_abdullah
(pictured - foreground) The Dogs | Abdul-Rahman Abdullah | 2017 | stained wood, chandeliers
(pictured - background) Mission Creep | Abdul Abdullah | 2017 | oil on panel, manual embroidery
Current projects
Enough - Khalas
Curated by Nur Shkembi & Phillip George
May 2018 | UNSW Galleries (NSW)
Directors Cut
Curated by Chris Malcom, Ted Snell & John Barret-Lennard
May 2018 | John Curtin Gallery (WA)
Dark Horizons - Abdul Abdullah | Khaled Sabsabi | Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
Curated by Reuben Friend
June 2018 | Waitakere Contemporary Art Gallery, Te Uru (NZ)
Upcoming projects
Another day in paradise
Curated by Michael Dagostino and Ben Quilty
July 2018 | Bendigo Art Gallery (VIC)
The 1818 Project
Curated by Sarah Johnson
September 2018 | Newcastle Art Gallery (NSW)
Biennale of Australian Art
Curated by Julie Collins
September 2018 | Ballarat (VIC)
Safe Space
Curated by Christine Morrow
November 2018 | Logan Art Gallery (QLD)