Rasheed Araeen unveils his first outdoor public commission in London as The Line marks a decade of bringing contemporary art to the city’s waterways.
The Line, London’s public art trail, will mark its tenth anniversary this month with a new installation by Rasheed Araeen, the Pakistani-born artist and activist whose work has shaped Britain’s postwar art history.
On Sept. 23, Araeen will unveil Untitled The Line at Bromley-by-Bow. The six-foot-square work, built from eight open steel cubes painted in bold primary colors, reflects the geometric vocabulary that has defined his sculpture since the 1960s. It is his first semi-permanent outdoor commission in London.
© Rasheed Araeen
The installation sits on a patch of grass between the Lee Navigation and Bow Creek, overlooked by houseboats and a railway bridge. The setting underscores motifs that recur in Araeen’s work: water, engineering, and freedom of movement. The artist has described the symmetry of his forms as an expression of egalitarian ideals.
The piece continues Araeen’s collaboration with The Line and Arup Phase 2. In July, to coincide with the Paris Olympics, the partnership restaged Discosailing: A Ballet on Water, Araeen’s 1970s participatory performance, on the Waterworks River at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Araeen trained as a civil engineer in Karachi before moving to London in 1964. His six-decade career has spanned sculpture, painting, performance and publishing, often entwined with political activism. He founded the journal Third Text in 1987 and two years later curated The Other Story at the Southbank Centre, the first major exhibition in Britain to survey the work of African and Asian artists after World War II.
© Rasheed Araeen
Now 88, Araeen is receiving renewed recognition as institutions reconsider the contributions of overlooked artists of color in Britain. For The Line, his new work signals both an anniversary milestone and a first: his debut outdoor public commission in the city.
As part of London Sculpture Week, The Line will also present Araeen’s Reading Room at The House Mill, a free installation running alongside the new sculpture.
As part of London Sculpture Week, The Line will host a free installation of Rasheed
Araeen’s Reading Room at The House Mill E3. Open from 12-5pm, Friday 26th – Sunday 28th
September, visitors will have access to key publications from Araeen’s long career, with The
Line’s Youth Guides on hand to introduce texts including editions of Third Text and early
catalogues from Araeen’s curatorial projects and activism.
The Reading Room, The House Mill, Three Mill Lane, E3 3DU. Closest tube, Bromley-by-Bow.
©2025 Rasheed Araeen
Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities. We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art, from exhibitions to artist interviews and more.
