Umar Rashid, formerly known as Frohawk Two Feathers, returns from 21 March to 16 September 2024 to the Raffaelli Art Studio in Trento after having participated in 2019 in the collective "The Fate of Empires" with the new solo exhibition "The Legend of the Dolomites".
Contrary to what one might think, "Dolomites" is not only a place, but also the nickname of the main character of the legend evoked by the title of the exhibition, a true saga imagined by the artist in tribute to the territory that hosts it.
Umar Rashid's creative process is in fact articulated around the concept of site-specific fiction, through a reimagining 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, in addition to the pleasant 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 several episodes from the epic of "Dolomiti", a black hero of the Alps fighting against English and French imperialism, in an imaginary story set at the end of the 18th century. Through several cycles of works on paper and on canvas, made from 2019 until the unpublished works of 2024, love stories, court intrigues, battles, victories and defeats are intertwined that always combine the work of art with the story linked to the protagonists represented.
The value of Umar Rashid's work has been widely recognized in Italy and abroad, through the exhibition in important private galleries and public institutions such as MoMA PS1 in New York, which has dedicated a rich solo exhibition to him, or Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town in South Africa, which includes some of his works in a permanent collection.