Umar Rashid
La Leggenda di Dolomiti
Umar Rashid, formerly in art Frohawk Two Feathers, returns from 03/21 to 16/09/2024 at Studio d’Arte Raffaelli after participating in 2019 in the group show “The Fate of Empires” with his new solo exhibition “La Leggenda di Dolomiti.”
Contrary to what one might think, “Dolomiti” is not only a place, but also the nickname of the main character of the legend evoked by the title of the exhibition, a real saga imagined by the artist as a tribute to the territory that hosts it. In fact, Umar Rashid’s creative process is articulated around the concept of site-specific narrative, through a reimagination of history linked from time to time to the colonial history (real or presumed) of the countries in which he exhibits.
The real revolution in his work, besides the pleasing formal aesthetics of his painting, consists in bringing attention to the black population, restoring dignity and importance to his otherwise forgotten characters. The exhibition at Studio d’Arte Raffaelli brings together different episodes of the epic of “Dolomites,” a black hero of the Alps fighting against English and French imperialism, in an imaginary story set in the late 18th century.
Through multiple cycles of works on paper and canvas, created from 2019 until the unreleased works of 2024, love stories, court intrigues, battles, victories and defeats are interwoven, which always also juxtapose the work of art with the narrative related to the protagonists depicted.
The value of Umar Rashid’s work has been widely recognized in Italy and abroad, through exhibits in major private galleries and public institutions such as MoMA PS1 in New York, which has dedicated a rich solo exhibition to him, or the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa, which includes some of his works in its permanent collection.
The opening of the exhibition “La Leggenda di Dolomiti” will be held on Thursday, 03/21/2024 at 6:30 pm in the presence of the artist. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog with texts by Grégory Pierrot and Camilla Nacci.
Source: https://www.studioraffaelli.com/en/la-leggenda-di-dolomiti/
