Rashid Rana at Musée Guimet - Perpetual Paradoxe - 7 July – 15 November 2010

Musée Guimet Exhibitions Contemporary Art Rashid Rana - Perpetual Paradox

7 July – 15 November 2010

The Musée Guimet presents the exhibition « Perpetual Paradox » and exhibits for the first time in France the contemporary creations of Rashid Rana, considered to be Pakistan’s greatest contemporary artist because of his digital photomontages, sculptures and video installations.
Roughly twenty of his disconcertingly paradoxical pieces will be scattered among the museum’s permanent collection, offering a unique opportunity to compare contemporary art with the Musée Guimet’s age-old Asian pieces, thus placing a question mark above tradition and the “illusion of permanence”, from the depths of time to the modern age.

With this daring, new exhibition, the Musée Guimet steps into the realm of contemporary art. Jacques Giès, President of the Musée Guimet, justifies this new approach: “The museum is much more than a safety-deposit box for antiques. In view of the value of the Asian dynamic in our modern-day world – where Asian cultures are for the first time in Western history making a place for themselves that grows larger every day- the time has come, we believe, to reflect on and reconsider our notion of the museum.”

Originally a painter, well-known in the public eye in Pakistan and several other Middle-Eastern and European countries, Rashid Rana has for the last ten years chosen to work on digital imaging, allowing him to associate opposing elements in the same piece by inlaying micro-photographic details and creating pixellated images. By associating the seen with the unseen, the artist highlights the hostility between cultures, holding responsible those who create today’s images and therefore play a role in the construction of tomorrow’s traditions … “In this age of uncertainty we have lost the privilege of having one world view. Now every image, idea and truth encompasses its opposite within itself.” –Rashid Rana.

The exhibition “Perpetual Paradox” appears hand-in-hand with the current exhibition, “Pakistan: Where Civilisations Meet. Art from the Gandhara, 1st-6th centuries AD” which runs until 16 August, and offers a unique opportunity to discover 200 Greco-Buddhist pieces characteristic of the Gandhara, mixing classic Greek and Indian art in a fusion of genres and styles.

These two exhibitions dedicated to Pakistan provide a one-off chance to experience ancient heritage alongside contemporary creations.

Note: This exhibition contains images that may offend sensitive viewers.

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Curators:
Musée Guimet:
Jacques Giès, President of the Musée Guimet
Caroline Arhuero, Documentary Researcher

Guest Curators:
A§E
Arianne Levene
Églantine de Ganay
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