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Amin Rehman

Born in Lahore, Pakistan
Lives and works in Toronto, Canada


SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS


2010 Loha Toar, VM Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan

2010 Loha Toar, Bengal Art Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh

2009 Black Holes, Gallery Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

2008 Power Tools, Chawkndi Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan

2006 Market Values, Nairang Galleries, Lahore, Pakistan

2006 Market Values, South Asian Art Gallery, Burlington, Canada

2002 Their lives / Our culture, Praxis Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1998 Total Unfairness, Alhamra Art Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan

1998 We are puppets, Gallery Jan Van Munster, Dan Haag, Holland

1998 Body Expression II, Neilson Park Creative Art Center, Etobicoke, Canada

1998 Spiritual Expressions, Praxis Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1998 Tradition: Two Generations, National Art Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan

1998 Tradition: Two Generations, Gallery NCA, Lahore, Pakistan

1998 Body Expressions, Gallery 306, Toronto, Canada

1998 Member’s Wall, A Space Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1994 Light Within, Idée Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1994 Third World Landscape, Gallery NCA, Lahore, Pakistan

1992 Inner Reflections, Gallery 306, Toronto, Canada

1992 Political Landscape, Surface Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1992 Looking East, Midway Forum Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1992 Luminous Images, Gallery 306, Toronto, Canada

1992 From Images to Images, ICIS Gallery, London, England, U.K.

1992 Images from the Walled City, Alhamra Art Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS


2009 Erasing Borders, Queens Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A.

2009 Erasing Borders, The Gallery at Penn College Pennsylvania, Williamsport, PA, USA

2009 That One, A Space Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2008 Urban Myths & Modern Fables, DMG Gallery, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada

2007 Urban Myths & Modern Fables, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

2007 Inaugural Show, National Art Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan

2007 Big Stories, Little India, site-specific art works, Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Canada

2007 Climate for Change, Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts, Toronto, Canada

2007 8th Annual Juried Drawing Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2007 Forth Biennial of Contemporary Islamic Painting, Tehran, Iran

2007 In Your Face, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada

2007 Once Again, South Asian Art Gallery, Burlington, Canada

2006 Hart House Juried show, J M Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

2006 This is not a propaganda Zone (Art + Activism), YYZ Artist’s Outlet, Toronto, Canada

2005 Contemporary Miniatures and New Art Forms, Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival Exhibition,
2005 Melbourne, Australia (Group: Invitational)

2005 OCAD Mystery Art Exhibition, Toronto, Canada

2005 Creative Insecurity, Marilyn Brewer Gallery, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada

2005 More Gifts that fits, A Space Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2003 Peace Taxi, SAVAC Juried Art Exhibition, Toronto, Canada

2003 Elements, Todrmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Art Centre, Toronto, Canada

2003 Takhti Exhibition, Mississauga Art Gallery, Mississauga, Canada

2003 Art in the City, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Art Centre, Toronto, Can

2002 SAVAC Members, Living Art Centre, Mississauga, Canada

2002Visual Arts Mississauga Juried show, Mississauga Art Gallery, Mississauga, Canada

2002National Landscape, National Art gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan

2002United Artists, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada (The man’s Chapel)

2002United Artists, Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre, Toronto, Canada (The man’s Chapel)

1997 Jubilee Art Exhibition, American Centre, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Pakistan

1997 Miniature Art Exhibition, Del Bello Gallery, Toronto, Canada

1997 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Toronto, Canada


AWARDS AND GRANTS


2009 International Artists Residency Award, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario, Canada

2009 Mid Career Artists Grant, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario, Canada

2009 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Grants

2007 Chalmers Fellowship Award, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario, Canada

2007 Canada Council Travel Grant

2006 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Grant

2006 2nd Prize, Hart House Juried Show, J M Barmicke Gallery, University of Toronto

2005 Artist of the year award, SAVAC, Toronto, Canada

2002/03            Honorable Mention – Scarborough Arts Council 17 & 18 Annual Juried Art Exhibitions

1991/93/96       Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Grants

1993USIA Visitor Internship, USA

1993The British Council Fellowship


PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS


UK, USA, Canada, Holland, Pakistan, Maldev


SELECTED BIOGRAPHY


2007 Nadja Sayej, Getting the real story on Little India, Globe and Mail, Toronto, August 18, 2007

2007 Amin Rehman – Kym Pruesse, Nukta Art, summer issue, 2007, Karachi, Pakistan

2006 Maritime Preoccupations – Qudus Mirza, The News, Dec 03, Pakistan

2006 Breaking the Code – Ali Adil Khan, Dawn, Dec 02, Pakistan

2006 A Hub for South Asian Art – Ali Adil Khan, Dawn, Aug 26, Pakistan

2006 Art Transcending Ethnic Barriers in Toronto – Niilofur Furrukh, Dawn, Aug 11, Pakistan

2006 Micro View of The Macro World, Robert Nelson THE AGE. March 29, Melbourne, Australia

2006 Amin Rehman, Hart House Review 2006, University of Toronto, Canada

2005 Amin Rehman – Artist of the year – Rachel Kalpana James, Kala Arts Quarterly, Toronto, Canada

2004 Creative Insecurity – Tara Marshall, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada

2004 Peace Taxi - Documentary by Media TV, City TV, Toronto, Canada

2004 Documentary by CBC, Toronto, Canada

2004 Ustad Bashir Ud Din – Syed Amjad Ali, Feroze Sons, Lahore, Pakistan

2004 Two Generations meet on Canvas – Irfana Razzaq, The Nation, Jan 21, Lahore, Pakistan

1997 Contemporary Art Trends- Nabeela Aslam, The Muslim, Feb 16, Lahore, Pakistan

1997 Duo Doing Wonders – Ameera Javeria, Frontier Post, March, Lahore, Pakistan

1997 50 Years of Independence – Journal, CBC, August 14, Canada

1997 Lahore Colours – Athar Tahir, Alhamra Books, 1997, Lahore, Pakistan

1997 Canadian Painters - Olga Thompson (C), Toronto, Canada

1995 An Experiment in Art – Ali Kemal, News, Lahore, Pakistan

1993 I don’t believe in imitation – Usman Haroon, Frontier Post Feb 25, 1993, Lahore, Pakistan

1993 Romancing the Past – Reena Saeed Khan, Friday Times, January 9, Lahore, Pakistan

1993 Beyond Darkness – Rehana Hakim, News Line May, Karachi, Pakistan

1993 From Images to Images - A New Look at Power and Glory – Ian Wolfenden,

1993 Director, History of Art Department, University of Manchester, England, UK


ART RELATED ACTIVITIES


2007 Slide Slam, SAVAC, Toronto, Ontario

2007 Panelist Canadian Artists Without Borders Symposium “Breaking Down the Barriers” Varley Art Gallery,
2007 Unionville, Ontario, Canada, March 2007

2006-07 Member Art Committee, J M Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto, Canada

2006-07 Member Board of Directors, Art City, Toronto

1994-07 Member, A Space, Toronto

2002-05 Executive, Programming, SAVAC, Toronto

2002-05 Represented/Coordinated SAVAC exhibitions at Harborfront Centre, Toronto, Canada

1997 Visiting on the Faculty of Design, National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan

1992 Feasibility report on a contemporary art gallery of National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan

1988 Visiting internship to the Smithsonian Institutions, Washington DC. USA

1988 Research on the State of Arts in Pakistan in the University of Manchester, U.K

1988 Taught in the education department of the Tate Gallery and National Gallery, London, U.K

1987 Research work on the 17th centaury Mughal Miniature Painting collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum
1987 London, U.K

1987 Planned and conducted a research with the students of the Department of Visual Communication
1987 Manchester University to develop alternative methods of Exhibition Design for the underdeveloped
1987 countries

1984-87 Designed over a hundred art exhibitions including publications, promotional and educational activities for 1984-87 Alhamra Arts Council as Director Visual Arts, Lahore, Pakistan

1984-87 Coordinated the first Aga Khan Award for Architectural Exhibition held at the NCA


EDUCATION


1996 Certificate in Digital Art, Digital Media Studios, Toronto, Canada

1987–88 Diploma in Art Gallery and Museum Studies, History of Art Department, University of Manchester,
1987–88 England, UK.

1978-82 Diploma in Design, National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan

1976-78 Bachelor of Arts (Painting) University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Amin Rehman is a multidisciplinary artist who has been working since the 1980s. Originally from Pakistan, Rehman has studied at the National College of Arts (Lahore), the University of Punjab (Lahore), and the University of Manchester (UK). He has exhibited extensively in a number of exhibitions and festivals across Canada and abroad, notably the Doris McCarthy Gallery (Toronto), National Art Gallery (Pakistan), Rush Arts Gallery (New York), and University of Technology (Sydney). Rehman's interest in these issues primarily draws from his experience of living in Pakistan and Canada. His work engages and comments on the current effects of trans-nationalism and globalization and also encompasses a number of artistic practices such as installation, painting, and performance. Rehman currently resides in Toronto.

Through my art practice, I explore and critique the effects of globalization in the world today. Using mediums such as vinyl, neon lights and photography, I investigate themes such as violence, conflict, war, and the environment to highlight the complexities of such issues in the context of aggressive globalization.  

My current practice examines the discontents of current globalization and the ways in which it has jeopardized the well-being and livelihoods’ of those who are unable to benefit from its hyper-capitalist economic, social and political values. I am interested in understanding and interpreting the narratives, phraseology, and translations that come from these communities. My work expands on the implications of such circumstances.  

In using such concepts as the basis of my work, I hope to depict not only a natural progression of my past explorations but also to reveal a leap of creative and material synthesis. Through this process, I continue to depict and emphasize how global networks inform the how communities engage and deal with the everydayt lives of people.