Background
Idris Khan was born on December 1, 1978, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
2015
Idris Khan in London photographed by Benjamin McMahon.
2015
Idris Khan at Sean Kelly gallery near his sculptural composition 'Overture'. Photo by Charlie Rubin.
2017
Idris Khan in his London studio.
The Officer's insignia of the Order of the British Empire which Idris Khan received in 2017 for his contributions to art.
Kedleston Rd, Derby DE22 1GB, United Kingdom
One of the buildings of the University of Derby which Idris Khan graduated from in 2001.
Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2EU, United Kingdom
Dyson Building of the Royal College of Art where Idris Khan received his Master of Arts degree with a Distinction in Research in 2004.
Idris Khan's photographic print ‘Every...Bernd And Hilla Becher Prison Type Gasholders’ which was purchased at Christie's in London for $290,547 in 2012.
Idris Khan with an art collector and author Charlie Mortimer (right).
Idris Khan with his wife, an artist Annie Morris.
Idris Khan near one of his works.
Idris Khan with his wife, an artist Annie Morris.
Idris Khan and Annie Morris at one of the exhibitons of their art.
Idris Khan at his studio.
Idris Khan at work.
Idris Khan at work.
Idris Khan taking photos of his works.
artist painter Photographer sculptor
Idris Khan was born on December 1, 1978, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
After graduating from the University of Derby in 2001, Idris Khan pursued his studies at the Royal College of Art in London. Three years later, he received his Master of Arts degree with a Distinction in Research.
Idris Khan came into the world of art receiving his first popularity due to images he created cumulating visual or textual work, including Beethoven's complete sheet music, Bernd and Hilla Becher photographs, William Turner postcards or pages of the Qur'an, with the help of digital technology.
His works are all based on repetition and action. Nevertheless, there is a difference between the earlier projects and more recent ones. When his first works used pre-existing cultural artefacts to create a new piece of art, the recent projects have been more hand-made in character operating with artist's own writings in response to classic art historical, philosophical and religious tracts as layers.
In 2012, Khan served as a decorator for the British Museum creating a wall drawing for its exhibition titled ‘Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam’. His installation, ‘Seven Times’, was displayed at the Museum’s Great Court as well. The same year, the artist received a commission from The New York Times Magazine to design its London issue. To complete the task, he created a body of work focused on the London’s most iconic sites and buildings, such as the London Eye.
Khan has also delivered his works in other branches of art, including choreography and music. In 2014, he collaborated with a choreographer Wayne McGregor and a composer Max Richter. The artist created set decorations for the latter’s ‘Four Seasons’ which were presented at Zurich Opera House. Earlier, in 2009, Khan also worked as a set decorator for a choreographer Sarah Warsop.
The recent projects of the artist include the 2016 centrepiece for the new Memorial Park in Abu Dhabi, the British Museum’s site-specific artworks as part of the new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World, and the cover of The New York Times Magazine’s Winter Olympics issue, both latter in 2018.
As an artist, Idris Khan has exhibited in many art spaces and galleries within the United Kingdom and abroad, including the solo shows at the Whitworth Gallery, University of Manchester, Gothenburg Konsthall, Sweden, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto, Kunsthaus Murz, Murzzuschlag in Austria, and K20 in Düsseldorf. The recent exhibitions of his works include ‘21 Stones’ at Albukhary Foundation Islamic Gallery in 2018 and 2019 ‘Blue Rhythms’ at Sean Kelly gallery in New York City.
Nowadays, Idris Khan lives in London working in Stoke Newington’s studio which he shares with his wife, an artist Annie Morris.
White Windows; September 2016 - May 2018
A Blanket of White
The World of Perception
Disappearing Line
Church Walk Studio 9
To Disappear
Numbers
Toscanini... the last performance
Every... Bernd and Hilla Becher Gable Sided Houses
After... Karl Blossfeldt Art Forms in Nature
Why Do They Go
White Windows; April 2017 - January 2019
Bach. ... Six Suites for the Solo Cello
Over and Over
Every… William Turner postcard from Tate Britain
Every... Stave of Frederick Chopin's Nocturnes for the Piano
St. Paul's, London
Having a Muslim father and a mother who converted to Islam before marriage, Idris Khan is a Muslim by origin. Although, he is a non-practicing follower.
Idris Khan believes that there is a tiny relationship between our subconscious and our linear experience of time and place.
Through his digital images, paintings, and sculptural compositions which are all characterized by the density and precision, the artist refers to the informational surplus of the modern technical age, calling for more slower approach to the perception of our collective history and culture.
Quotations:
"A lot of people in the art world hate to use the word ‘Photoshop,’ like it’s cheating or easy or something. I say bollocks to that – for me, it’s my tool, my paintbrush if you like, and lets me create my own visual language."
"For my writings, I try to draw from people’s experiences. I cannot understand what it is like to be in an active conflict zone, but through reading first-hand narratives and the news, I can begin to piece together the fragments in a way that becomes something new."
"I like the idea that people can get lost in my works. There are so many instances in the media about individuals who are displaced by wars, genocides, dictators. I wanted to find a way to tap into those emotions through aesthetics."
"I never give away the entire passage. The viewer is asked to fill it in, which makes it a more abstract experience."
"My titles almost always come from my writings. They are sort of visual poems – not that I fancy myself a poet."
"It is a challenge to not define my work as a photograph but using the medium of photography to create something that exists on the surface of the paper and not to be transported back to an isolated moment in time."
Idris Khan is married to Annie Morris, an artist from the United Kingdom.