Lot 073
HAMIR SOIB
b. Johor, 1969
MID-LIFE CRISIS, 2012-2013
Signed and dated ‘Hamir 2012/2013’ on the reverse
Bitumen on canvas
30cm x 46cm, diptych
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur.
ESTIMATE RM 4,000 - 7,000
PRICE REALISED RM 4,480.00 |
A reluctance to relinquish the past seems to be the theme of this piece, based on the page numbers on the lower left and right (40 and 41), and the figure’s determined clinging onto the left page, refusing to budge and move on with life. As the page turns, we too can find ourselves in the position of the person in this artwork, refusing to say goodbye to the old us, and to live out the present.
Hamir Soib, a late bloomer among the founding members of the cult Matahati group, is known for his works with sharp socio-political commentary about issues and events at home. He founded The Gudang warehouse art space in 2002 and he held his first solo at The Gudang in 2005. He is also active in theatre and film productions, besides painting. He won the Best Art Director award with Zuraini Anuar in Erma Fatima’s Perempuan Melayu Terakhir in the 14th Malaysia Film Festival. In 2005, he won the Incentive Award in the Shah Alam Gallery Open. Hamir was a finalist in the Sovereign Art Award Hong Kong in 2007. As a Matahati icon, he was from the same ‘Class of ‘91’ graduation from the Mara Institute of Technology. He won a Consolation Prize in the Dokumentasi Kemiskinan competition in 1990. In May 2017, Hamir held a successful solo called the self-explanatory Small Works at the Segaris Art Centre in Kuala Lumpur. |