Lot 50
AHMAD ZAKII ANWAR
b. Johor, 1955
GOPALA, 1996
Signed and dated 'Ahmad Zakii Anwar 96' lower right
Acrylic on canvas
120cm x 180cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur
EXHIBITED
Distant Gamelan, Art Focus Gallery, Singapore, 1998.
ESTIMATE RM 38,000 - 55,000
PRICE REALISED RM 52,800
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The Balinese Gopala, just like the Gotipua boy dancers of Orissa in India, is a rite of passage for dancers of the Hindu epics. It is performed by young boys animating themes of village life in Bali. The red udeng (head-dress) of the figure is balanced by the red of the black-and-white chequered poleng, while symbolising the Trinity of Siva, Brahma and Vishnu. Movement is suggested by the double sequential shots and the blurred aura outlining the figures, as well as by the poleng. This work is an early work from Ahmad Zakii Anwar’s Bali series. The dramatic pose with the raised jerky arms, grimace and top body arching backwards is one of the most popularly depicted of Balinese dance.
From a successful advertising background, Ahmad Zakii Anwar switched fulltime to fine art in the early 1990s and has become a master of Urban Realism. He graduated in Graphic Design at the Mara Institute of Technology in 1977. Known as being exciting, engaging and eloquent, he made a great impact with the Smokers series in his first solo in 1997. Zakii came to attention for his virtuosity and command of a spectrum of media from charcoals to oils, building a reputation for stunning photo realist still-life paintings and expressive portraits. His career milestones include when he was selected for the coveted Singapore Tyler Institute project in 2007 as well as his mid-career survey exhibition titled Disclosure at Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, in 2008. In recent years, he has had a number of notable exhibitions overseas such as Bones and Sinews, Andrewshire Gallery (USA, 2011), Kota Sunyi, CP ArtSpace (Indonesia, 2007), Shadowland, Plum Blossoms Gallery (Hong Kong, 2001), and Presence, Barbara Greene Fine Art (USA, 1999).
REFERENCE
Disclosure, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, 2008.
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