The Third Line, Dubai 2007. Begum's latest works have emerged from an intensive period spent in the studio. In all of her works adhesive tapes codify a visual language of repetition, balance and colour. They are readymades, their design dictated by a function independent from art. The limited colour range of the tapes set the parameters of the artist’s palette. This constraint does not however limit, as Begum's predisposition is to work within controlled and reductive parameters. The use of objects with intrinsic utilitarian properties draws a narrative subtext to the work. The adhesive tapes disclose a working code based on colour and material composition. These associations between use and colour are inconsistent - in some cases they extend across geographical borders and occasionally become universal givens. By removing these tapes from their intended context Begum unhinges further such semiotic associations. This destabilisation is also reflected in the numeric titles, offering no external insight, ensuring instead that the works remain open, leaving interpretation a condition of encounter. Words by Charles Danby