Partition, 2016

Rajab Ali Sayed

9 x 9 foot vinyl mural

West Hollywood Park, 5-story Parking Structure (ground floor), 625 N San Vicente Boulevard

August 1, 2019 - February 7, 2022

This artwork is a digital reproduction of an original painting that was part of the artist's MFA Thesis Show at The Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX, 2017. Partition was also curated by Toby Kamps into the 2017 iteration of The Big Show, an annual survey of Texas-based artists organized by the Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX. The painting is a portrait of Michael in his boudoir applying drag make-up to half of his face in homage to the 1982 film, Victor Victoria. The title of the painting alludes to several ideas; the pictorial bifurcation that occurs on the surface of the painting, the parting of gender constructs that occurs within drag culture; the division of post-colonial India in to two separate states of India and Pakistan in 1947; and the 2014 Beyoncé song that played when the artist witnessed Michael's transformation.

Rajab Ali Sayed (b. 1990) was born in Manila, Philippines and studied at the University of Houston, National College of Arts (Lahore, Pakistan) and Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD). His work has been exhibited in numerous gallery and museum spaces in Texas and Pakistan and the StoneWall 50/50 Show curated by Bill Arning at 1969 Gallery in New York City. Recently Sayed was awarded a L.A. Summer Residency from the Otis College of Art and Design. The artist recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA.

For questions or to report a damaged or vandalized artwork please contact Rebecca Ehemann, rehemann@weho.org, 323-424-6846. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call, TTY: (323) 848-6496. To learn more information about the City of West Hollywood and its arts programs visit www.weho.org/arts.