Zulkifli Yusoff is an established contemporary artist whose work engages with historical and contemporary issues that have shaped Malaysian society. An array of evolving black and white figures dominates the canvas, each portrayed with movement and life in the artist’s style. Zulkifli’s paintings elicit a pervading sense of motion, showcasing his imaginative rendition of figures modelled with powerful and dynamic brushstrokes. Zulkifli Yusoff emerged as the supernova in the late 1980s when he won the Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (BMS) competition in 1988 and 1989. He sealed his status when he won the Minister’s Grand Prize in Salon Malaysia in 1992, apart from the 1st and 3rd Prizes in Sculpture. For his contributions at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim, he was awarded the National Academy Award (Visual Art) in 2007. After his Diploma in Art and Design (Fine Art) at the Mara Institute of Technology (1989), he studied at the Manchester Polytechnic in England for his Masters (1991). His major exhibitions include the 1997 Venice Biennale under the fringe ‘Modernities and Memories: Recent Works from the Islamic World’; the 1st Asia-Pacific Triennial of Art in Brisbane in 1993; the Singapore Biennale 2013; Art Stage Singapore 2013 (Rukunegara 2: Voice, Theo Art Projects); Seychelles Biennale 1992. As a team, he won the 2nd Prize in the Sand Sculpture competition in 1988. His main solos at home include The Power (NN Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1996); Brave New Art (The Art Gallery Penang, 1996); Powerful Dialogue (The Art Gallery Penang, 2000); Icons (Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2008); and Negara Ku (National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2010).