At the core level Rashid Rana’s work tries to record, using visual imagery, current times and the world in which the artist himself exists.

In recent times, almost all his work stems from an interest in exploring diverse images from the broad visual culture that surrounds us. He quips: “If I look at my creations in retrospect, the subject matter of it has been constantly changing, yet always invariably mimics my formal interests.”

According to him, creativity and the arts will have an even more critical position and role in global society owing to the global financial crisis and its impact on private business. “I think we will see this reflected in the amount of resources and attention paid to arts education in the coming years,” he recently stated.

Rashid Rana attended the National College of Arts, Lahore for his undergraduate education. He later joined Massachusetts College of Art for his Masters degree. Formally he has an infatuation with the two-dimensional image and the many different ways it can be understood. The artist finds it intriguing to look at the history of 2D image making; be it drawing, painting or photography. Irrespective of the nature of the image, the very act of making a 2D image is something that he thinks of as an abstract thing to do.

He is interested in art history, and where exactly his creations fit in the trajectory of that history. According to him, it is nearly impossible to escape from the critical concepts like history, environment, and identity, especially when one comes from this tumultuous region of the world. “However, it’s a great accomplishment if, you are able to creatively deal with these issues without getting too superficial or dogmatic,” he remarks.