ABDUL-RAHMAN ABDULLAH
BORN 1977
PORT KEMBLA, NEW SOUTH WALES
LIVES PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah comes from a family of boxers and artists. Having been both, he reflects that these practices share the need for discipline and focus. His works emerge from memory and familial imagery. A Muslim Australian with mixed ethnicity, Abdullah uses his practice to navigate relations between nature, culture and politics.
In 2014 Abdullah was a recipient of the Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Award. This prestigious achievement opened the way for a residency at the Gloveworx Boxing Gym, where he developed new works and sparred with established artist Richard Lewer. It was there that Abdullah began using concrete as a way of documenting the gym and his experiences, making castings to recall hanging gloves and beaten-up boxing bags.
David, 2018
concrete, enamel, oxide
Like many of the characters in Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s work, David (Dave) is part of his extended family. The owner of a boxing club, he battled in the ring for over 25 years. The physical attitude of the sculpture is confronting and yet familiar, evocative of Australian sporting cultures and the masculinity of boxing. The work invites comparison with Auguste Rodin’s Man with the Broken Nose, 1863-64, leaving viewers to consider generations of men who have navigated the world with violence written on their faces.