Meet the Artist: Idris Khan

Idris Khan has received international acclaim for his minimal, yet emotionally charged photographs, paintings, sculptures, and video works that draw on diverse cultural sources. Looking to literature, history, art, music, and religion, Khan has used various media and layered imagery to develop unique narratives about the world around us, with meaning developing over time as the viewer takes in references to history, time, and experience embedded in the layers.

His work has been shown at international venues across the world, and in 2016, he was commissioned by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies to create a painting for the United States embassy in Islamabad, which incorporated a composite of English text and Arabic calligraphy. He was most recently appointed the notable title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire and named one of Apollo Magazine’s 40 under 40 global art influencers.

Khan was joined in conversation by notable author and sociologist Sarah Thornton to dive into his distinguished career and the inspiration for his culturally and politically charged works.

This program was presented in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies.

May 31, 2018