Museum of Fine Art, Boston

Work: No.1318
Location: Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Date: 2024

The MFA commissioned Begum to create No.1318 for this window in the Arts of Islamic Cultures gallery, which includes art from South Asia. Begum studied the Islamic art collection closely and found herself drawn to its geometric forms and brilliant colours. An extended research process followed, in which she experimented with layering shapes and colours, and observed their responses to daylight. Light and colour spill into the gallery, changing the atmosphere of the space. Begum left the centre of the work colourless, to encourage the viewer to peer out at the city whilst enjoying the effect of the colour light up the gallery spaces throughout the day.