Lot 047
Ismail Awi
b. Terengganu, 1987
Let Me Come Out, 2017
signed and dated (lower right)
oil and acrylic on canvas
123 x 153cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Selangor
ESTIMATE RM 11,500 – 18,000
PRICE REALISED RM 12,880.00
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Ismail Awi’s stimulating dreamscape is a vision of fantasy. Let Me Come Out illustrates a winged t-rex burst out of a pile of wooden blocks eager to go out. But what is eerie about it is that it looks like an image of a person appearing in the centre of the dino or maybe there’s a person inside wearing a dinosaur costume? Either or lots of peculiar creatures can be seen lingering around every corner of this piece. Ismail Awi draws heavily on gothic, surrealism and street culture, weaving them into his own intriguing narrative.
Ismail Alwi is an up-and-coming artist who was among 12 artists featured in the Tanah Air Ku showcase at the Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was organised by Galeri Chandan and all the works belong to the Embassy. In July-August 2016, his work also made it to the Curate Henry Butcher exhibition called A Raya Celebration Of Generations In Art, and in January 2018, The Young Contempo Showcase II (organised by Curate Henry Butcher) held at Galeri Prima. His first debut in Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction sale in April 2018,saw his pricing skyrocketed. His works are well sought after by local and foreign important collectors. |