COWPARADE PERTH 2016132_COWS_PARADE_2016_in_situ_LOWres-(1).jpg

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah

Red Heifer


  • Commissioner: Perth Public Art Foundation for the City of Perth
  • Telethon Beneficiary/Permanent Home: Coming Soon


 

Artist Statement

As an artist I am deeply interested in the way that animal archetypes are used to reflect the depth and diversity of cultural agency imposed by human beings. The red heifer is one such animal that symbolises the nexus of thousands of years of cultural development across more than half of the world’s population. If a cow was ever sacred it would probably be red.
 

Biography

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (b.1977) is a West Australian artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. Attending the Victorian College of the Arts in 2010 followed by Curtin University in 2011-12, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.
Abdullah has been a finalist in the Blake Prize (2013/15), Wynne Prize (2015), Churchie Prize for Emerging Artists (2015), Substation Prize (2014) and Bankwest Art Prize (2014/16) and won the Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Award (2013), the Credit Suisse/Art & Australia Art Award (2014) and the Multicultural Recognition Award for the Visual Arts (2016).
He has received grants from the Department of Culture and the Arts and the Australia Council for the Arts. Abdullah’s work has been exhibited recently at major institutes including the Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, South Australian Museum and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Abdullah’s work is held in the collections of Artbank, Islamic Museum of Australia, Campbelltown Art Centre, Murdoch University, University of Western Australia, Wesfarmers, Art Gallery of South Australia and Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah is commercially represented by This Is No Fantasy + Dianne Tanzer Gallery.


View more of Abdul-Rahman Abdullah's work in The Gallery >
 

IMAGE: Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Red Heifer, 2016. CowParade PERTH. Photographer: Christophe Canato. Image courtesy of City of Perth, Perth Public Art Foundation and Artsource.