A solo show of recent works by Rashid Rana in Paris

The Musée Guimet, a leading museum in France, presents the new solo exhibition ‘Perpetual Paradox’ by celebrated Pakistani artist Rashid Rana. This is for the first time that the contemporary creations of the artist are being showcased in the country.

Rashid Rana is considered to be his country's greatest contemporary artist because of his digital photomontages, sculptures and video installations. Originally a painter, well-known in the public eye in Pakistan and several other Middle-Eastern and European countries, he has for the last ten years chosen to work on digital imaging, allowing him to associate opposing elements in the same piece by inlaying micro-photographic details and creating pixellated images.

By associating the seen with the unseen, the artist highlights the hostility between cultures, holding responsible those who create today’s images and therefore play a role in the construction of tomorrow’s traditions. The artist states, “In this age of uncertainty we have lost the privilege of having one world view. Now every image, idea and truth encompasses its opposite within itself.”

Roughly twenty of his disconcertingly paradoxical pieces will be scattered among the museum’s permanent collection, offering a unique opportunity to compare contemporary art with the Musée Guimet’s age-old Asian pieces, thus placing a question mark above tradition and the 'illusion of permanence', from the depths of time to the modern age.

The exhibition appears hand-in-hand with the current exhibition, ‘Pakistan: Where Civilisations Meet - Art from the Gandhara, 1st-6th centuries AD’. It runs until 16 August, and offers a unique opportunity to discover 200 Greco-Buddhist pieces characteristic of the Gandhara, mixing classic Greek and Indian art in a fusion of genres and styles. These two exhibitions dedicated to Pakistan provide a one-off chance to experience ancient heritage alongside contemporary creations. The show ‘Perpetual Paradox’ continues until October 15.