LOT 15
AWANG DAMIT AHMAD
B. Sabah, 1956
Belatak Rapuh, 2010
Mixed media on canvas
91 x 91 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Artist’s name, title, medium, and size inscribed on the verso. Also signed on the verso
RM 35,000 – 68,000
Widely regarded as a towering figure in Malaysian abstract expressionism, Sabah born master Awang Damit Ahmad is renowned for his raw, tactile canvases that interweave personal memories of rural life with profound commentary on human vulnerability. This intense, soul searching philosophy is brilliantly captured in his 2010 work, Belatak Rapuh, an evocative piece from his celebrated Payarama series. Foregoing literal representation, Awang Damit Ahmad builds a heavily encrusted, weathered topography using thick mixed media layers, aggressive gestural strokes, and a gritty, earth driven palette that mirrors the fragile state of traditional agrarian communities. The title, evoking a brittle or fragile harvesting basket, serves as a poetic metaphor for the slow erosion of indigenous heritage under the weight of modern progress. By balancing a fierce, instinctive painterly energy with deep cultural nostalgia, Belatak Rapuh stands as a powerful testament to Awang Damit Ahmad’s ability to turn elemental, abstract forms into a universal meditation on resilience and decay.