Sunara Begum
Film-screening: The Pilgrim Within / Saturday 23rd February 4-6pm with Ruhul Abdin, and Tunde Jegede
Sunara Begum is a visual artist and filmmaker whose work is perfectly placed between East and West. She uses installation, film, photography and text, and has already created her own distinct visual language and aesthetic, imprinted in all her work. As a visual artist she has exhibited extensively in galleries across UK and internationally in Europe, Asia and Africa.
She began her studies at Camberwell College of Arts and then went on to do her bachelors and masters of fine arts at Central St Martins College of Art & Design whist doing apprenticeships with the Henry Moore Foundation and Halaqah Media. She had her first exhibition at the National Annexe Gallery (2004) as part of a group show in Cape Town, South Africa whilst still at St Martins. Since then, her solo exhibitions include; The Bargehouse (UK, 2013), St Martin in-the Fields, (UK, 2012), Drik Gallery (Bangladesh, 2011), 198 Gallery (UK, 2010), Departure (UK 2009), Shoreditch Gallery (UK, 2008), with group shows including; October Gallery (UK, 2012), Laphto Art Gallery (Ethiopia, 2010), London Art Fair (UK, 2010), Garden Gallery (Pakistan, 2009), LUDA Gallery (Russia, 2009) and Nolias Gallery (UK, 2008).
As a photographer her work has been published in France, UK, China, India and Bangladesh, in magazines and newspapers including Le Monde, and L’Parisian. In 2011 she published her first book, ‘The Legend of Ara’, a photographic poetic narrative of a mythical character. Her approach to photography contextualises people, places and environments and as an artist she considers herself a Visual-Anthro-Mythologist.
After working as a producer and director of photography on several films including, The Idea and the award-winning feature film, 500 Years Later, she directed her own debut short film, Ara’s Sojourn to critical acclaim. This has been followed by several short films, Ara’s World (2009), The Water’s Will (2010) and a new documentary series, Truth & Art (2013), featuring three international artists from three continents.
Sunara Begum has continued to develop her own visual narrative-led language on many large-scale projects for productions including, Ancient Futures, which has toured internationally, African Messiah at the Royal Opera House, London, Visions of a Traveller at Lyon Opera House and The Planetarium for La Musée des Confluence in Lyon. Sunara sees her mission as to bring a heightened experience of the arts to those who are prepared to listen and see.
www.SunaraBegum.com