Lot 56: Shezad Dawood (British/Pakistani, b. 1974)

Shezad Dawood (British/Pakistani, b. 1974)
By The Heaven of the Returning Rain
neon strip lighting
19 5/8 x 39¼in. (50 x 100cm.)
Executed in 2008; number two from an edition of three plus one artist's proof

London, Initial Access: Frank Cohen Collection, Lightness of Being, September - December 2008.
Milan, Galleria Riccardo Crespi, Shezad Dawood: Viaggio al termine della notte, September - October 2008 (another from the edition exhibited).

Shezad Dawood: Viaggio al termine della notte, exhibition catalogue, Galleria Riccardo Crespi, 2008, p. 81 (another from the edition illustrated).

This lot offered for sale is subject to a 5% import duty on the importation value levied at the time of collection/shipment within the UAE.
In the present work, Shezad Dawood explores broader issues of religion, culture and ethnicity. By The Heaven of the Returning Rain unites seemingly disparate elements: marrying tradition and religion with an overtly secular, neon sign. Deconstructing contemporary consumerism, the artist engages in a critical yet playful investigation of cultural identity.