Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) was an important Japanese printmaker from Edo known for his inventive masterpieces in the style of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The original portrait created circa 1847-1852 is made up of figures in multiple poses, which led to its comparison with the Italian painter Arcimboldo who is known for his portraits composed of fruits and objects. This special work is a reinterpretation of Utagawa Kuniyoshi's work in the artist's own style using a variety of mediums. Haslin obtained his BFA at the Universiti Mara Institute of Technology in 2005-2007. In 2006, he won the Grand Prize in the In-print competition and received a sponsored two-week trip to study printmaking at Gray's School of Art and Design. His two major awards are the Young Guns (Hom Art Trans, 2013) and the Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (Bakat Muda Sezaman) in 2011, the year he was selected for the Rimbun Dahan art residency. He won 1st Prize in the Manga Artists competition (2008), Visual Art Pitch (My Creative Ventures and Chandan Gallery, 2006), the Visual Art Award at Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (2010). After his first solo, Exorcismus Persona - Windows into the Fantasy Worlds of Haslin Ismail, at RA Fine Arts, Kuala Lumpur, in 2012, he held three solos namely Transfiguration (2013), Mindmix (2014), Book Land in the 2014 Art Stage Singapore. The Merdeka! Exhibition at Galeri Petronas featured him and Samsudin Wahab, two of the most exciting young artists, in 2014. Among the notable group exhibitions he was featured in include Un-cut Malaysian Arts Festival in Gallery Shambala in Copenhagen, Absurd(c)ity at the National Art Gallery in 2013, the Kembara Jiwa exhibitions in Yogyakarta and Bandung in Indonesia in 2012, and the Art Expo Malaysia in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015. Selfies : A Mixed Media Project by Haslin Ismail was presented by Core Design Gallery at Art Expo Malaysia 2017. His exhibition I'm Going To Need You More Than You Need Me was held in 2021.