Umar Rashid - The Epoch of Totalitarianism IV : The Slow Motion Chaos of Bread and Circuses

Umar Rashid (b. 1976), based in Los Angeles, constructs an expansive "Alternative History" where historical events intersect with fictional characters, mythology, and popular culture. Through humor and satire, he brings marginalized figures to the center of new narratives that challenge conventional histories and the structures of power behind them. In this exhibition, Rashid expands his longstanding exploration of war and conquest into the realms of tourism, leisure, sport, branding, and entertainment. Familiar scenes of pleasure become stages where ancient deities, armies, fictional characters, and unexpected events converge, while violence and conflict recede behind images of leisure and consumption. Through this shift, Rashid examines the subtler ways power operates through desire, imagery, and culture, extending his fictional universe beyond the canvas through paintings, flags, garment-like textile works, and installations. Rashid has exhibited at MoMA PS1, Dordrechts Museum, LACMA, and the Hammer Museum, with works held in collections including the Brooklyn Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and Zeitz MOCAA.