Abdul-Rahman Abdullah

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (born 1977) is an Australian artist based in Western Australia, an elder brother of artist Abdul Abdullah. He works mainly in sculpture and installations.

Early life and education Abdul-Rahman Abdullah was born in 1977 at Port Kembla, New South Wales. He is an elder brother of Abdul Abdullah (born 1986) Their mother is Malay, while their father is Anglo-Australian, and the family is Muslim. Abdullah is a 7th-generation Australian on his father's side, whose ancestors arrived on the Indefatigable (a convict ship) in 1815. Both of his grandfathers fought in the Second World War.

After school he worked at a variety of jobs, as well as enrolling in and dropping out of various college and university courses, before he realised that art could be a profession. He enjoyed drawing, and became an illustrator and commercial sculptor, developing skills and a work ethic as an independent contractor.

Art practice and themes Abdullah is acutely aware of his identity as a Muslim and being seen as foreigner in Australia because of his religion. He said in 2020: and has again been selected for 2022, as one of "25 leading Australian contemporary artists".

Residencies 2013: Underbelly Arts Lab, Cockatoo Island, Sydney

In 2020, Abdullah won the Australian Muslim Artists Art Prize, an annual prize hosted by La Trobe University, for his work entitled Transplants (Euphorbia, Monstera, Sansevieria), a tribute to his mother's love for her family and her expertise in horticulture.

In 2021, he won the Minnawarra Art Prize, a Western Australian prize.

In April 2015, the Art Gallery of Western Australia held the inaugural "WA Focus" exhibition featuring the work of both Abdul and Abdul-Rahman. Also in April 2015, Abdullah's work was featured in the Here&Now15 exhibition of experimental sculpture at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at the University of Western Australia.

In 2020 he was working on a major group exhibition that had been postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Called I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2, it was planned to become part of an international project for the Venice Biennale.

In February 2021 Abdullah held his first solo exhibition in an institutional gallery, at the John Curtin Gallery in Perth. It was also his largest exhibition so far. Entitled Everything is true, the exhibition comprised 24 sculptures. ).

Solo exhibitions , Abdullah has had the following solo exhibitions: 2012: Inside the little kingdom, Fringe World Festival 2012, Kurb Gallery. Perth 2013: Maghrib, Venn Gallery, Perth 2015: In the name, Alaska Projects, Sydney 2017: Among Monsters, This Is No Fantasy, Melbourne 2018: The Dogs, Moore Contemporary, Perth 2021: Everything is true, Perth Festival 2021, John Curtin Gallery, Perth

Collections Abdullah's work is held in several major and regional galleries, including:

Artbank (national collection) Art Gallery of South Australia Art Gallery of Western Australia University of Western Australia Murdoch University La Trobe University Curtin University Islamic Museum of Australia City of Campbelltown City of Broken Hill City of Bendigo City of Armadale Wesfarmers

Personal life Abdullah lives with his wife, artist Anna Louise Richardson, their two daughters and newborn son on a large cattle farm in Mundijong, Western Australia. The couple alternate parenting and working in the studio.

His younger brother is artist Abdul Abdullah.