Dead Bird Flying II

In this age of uncertainty we have lost the
privilege of having only one world view. Now
every image, idea and truth (may it be ancient of
modern) encompasses its opposite within itself.
Thus we live in a state of duality. This internal
conflict translates into my work, on a formal level,
as well as having geographical, historical and
political connotations.
(Artist Statement, Sovereign Asian Art Prize, 2006, unpaginated).

Conceptual duality along with the 'double take'
it engenders is a key feature of Rashid Rana's
digitised vocabulary. Playing with notions of
Gestalt Rana's images reveal multiple world views
both formally and conceptually, in turn serving
as a comment on contemporary geopolitics. This
particular work serves as a highly accomplished
example of Rana's continuing focus with the grid
or matrix that remains an overarching theme in
his oeuvre.

"Dead-Bird Flying, a self-contradictory phrase,
exemplifies the multiple dichotomies within
a single image. On a micro scale - a series of
photographs of caged birds form the macro
image, suggesting a bird in flight - questioning
the notion of freedom and the illusion of being
free." (Correspondence with Ana Mahgul, 2011)