Bio Firi Rahman’s (b. 1990, Sri Lanka) work is often concerned with the contentious relationship between humankind and the animal kingdom. Rahman earned a Foundation in Art and Design (2012) from City and Guilds at Manchester College in the United Kingdom. He is a cofounder of We Are From Here, a collective project which highlights a deeply interconnected community in Slave Island whose home-base is increasingly threatened by gentrification for state and corporate interests. His work has been exhibited at the Colombo Art Biennale (2016), Colomboscope and Dhaka Art summit. His works belong to private collections in Sri Lanka, Switzerland, India, United Kingdom, and the USA. He was also selected for the Cité Internationale des Arts residency in France (2023) and state department IVLP Alumni (2023).
Artist Statement | Legacies of Crossings
Rahman’s new body of work is a commentary on experiences of refugees and migrants who exist in an ambiguous & uprooted zone of belonging and non-belonging, as they try to comprehend the meaning of home.
The series draws from the artist's observation of parakeets in the Parisian skies during his residency at Cité des Arts. Introduced along the routes of luxury trade as exotic species, they have come to inhabit the foreign landscapes of Europe. Removed from their natural habitats these creatures are slowly adapting to new environments, but as their populations increase they are being viewed as invasive and a threat to local fauna. They are refugees in a foreign land much like those who have left their loved one and familiar habitat, carrying dreams and hopes for a better life.
Rahman’s practice reflects a deep empathy for creatures of flight - reading in their interactions with each other the warmth and comfort they seek in the companionship of kin and kith with whom they share their nest. He observes in their mannerisms a forlorn hope - the expressions of loss and grief - mirroring human experiences. It is these observations that Rahman draws from in his exploration of home. The pencil and ink drawings appear as residues left behind after the vibrancy of colour is removed, evoking a contained expression of hope enveloped in the angst of separation, grief that mixes with warm affection.