HOUSTON, TX.- Ismaili Center, Houston has announced a monumental new site-specific commission by internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi-British artist Rana Begum for its permanent collection, deepening the Center’s ongoing commitment to contemporary art, architecture, and public cultural engagement.
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Known for her immersive explorations of light, color and form, Begum’s No. 1573 Reflectors (2025−2026) is a large-scale installation which explores the idea of the infinite. Drawn from her reflector series, this new commission belongs to a body of work that transforms the industrial material into luminous abstract compositions responsive to shifting light and movement. Building upon earlier works incorporating hazard tape, the series investigates repetition, geometry, and color, emphasizing the luminosity of the industrial material’s hexagonal pattern.
Measuring nearly 20 feet high, the pink-and-white work will be installed in the East Atrium. The opportunity to work at this monumental scale allowed Begum to push the way repeated pattern could give a sense of the infinite, in response to the architecture. As natural and artificial light shifts throughout the day, the work’s reflective mosaic surface transforms in response, producing a constantly changing visual and spatial experience.
Installation is scheduled to begin in late July, with a formal presentation by the artist planned for early fall.
Thoughtfully integrated throughout the Center’s architecture and gardens, the permanent collection creates spaces for reflection and dialogue while encouraging personal interpretation and engagement across generations. Balancing traditional artistic influences with material innovation, the collection invites discourse on heritage, spirituality, and contemporary artistic expression.
Early in the collecting process, the Center’s Arts and Culture team prioritized works that would remain in active dialogue with the building’s architecture. One of the defining visual elements of the Center is light itself, from the central oculus to the expansive filtered windows that shape the building’s atmosphere throughout the day.
“In considering this relationship between architecture and light, we looked to Houston landmarks such as Twilight Epiphany by James Turrell and the paintings of Mark Rothko at the Rothko Chapel,” said Rozina Mussani, Director, Ismaili Center, Houston. “We were interested in working with an artist whose practice responds to both space and illumination. The work of Rana Begum, particularly her use of reflective surfaces and light-responsive materials, resonated strongly both visually and conceptually. Her work moves beyond language or direct representation of spirituality, instead creating an experiential encounter through light, perception, and atmosphere.”
Rana Begum
Rana Begum (b. 1977) was born in Bangladesh and currently lives and works in London. Her work focuses on the interplay between light and color, blurring the boundaries between sculpture, painting, and architecture. Her use of repetitive geometric patterns, found both within Islamic art and the industrial cityscape, draws inspiration from childhood memories of the rhythmic repetition of daily recitals of the Qur’an. Influenced by minimalism, constructivism, and artists including Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Sol Lewitt, Frank Stella, Mary Martin and Tess Jaray, Begum’s practice spans drawings, paintings, wall-based sculptures, and large-scale public art installations. She is represented by The Third Line, Dubai, Kate MacGarry in London, Jhaveri Contemporary in Mumbai, Lehmann Maupin in New York, Christan Lethert in Cologne, and Cristea Roberts in London.
The announcement reflects the Ismaili Center, Houston’s broader vision for arts and cultural programming that bridges contemporary artistic practice, architecture, culinary traditions, and community engagement through interdisciplinary public experiences.
