No. 974(2019-20), the opening work, relates to a series developed with craftspeople through Istanbul Modern’s residency programme. Inspired by Istanbuls’s historic buildings, Begum used her time in metal spinning workshops to cast moulds inspired by lamp bases which, when mounted on the wall, are transformed into an expanse of shape-shifting curiosities. As the day’s light cycle progresses, the pieces move through their own cycle; the colour-sprayed surfaces shift in tone and their shapes stretch out as they cast shadow

Begum’s practice has consistently focused on these material effects. Her new Relief Panel series of ridged aluminium panels coated in iridescent block colours sensitises viewers to their texture and density.Related to early explorations of the relief genre, the series pairs the sections in grids to form an arrangement of alternating horizontal and vertical undulations. This is a subtle yet incisive study of perspective. The works usher light into their troughs creating visual plays where colour seems to glow and linear patterning sharpens and then dissipates.

Begum’s material enchantment is shared in this show across registers. Her intimate watercolours made on lightly gridded paper are tonally varied in a way that seemingly evokes how light interacts with the sculptures in the show. Often made during time travelling, the pieces are both a record of, and call to engage in, slow observation