LOT 19
YUSOF GHANI
B. Johor, 1950
Topeng Series, 1996
Acrylic on canvas
76 x 61 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Titled, signed, and dated on verso
RM 14,000 – 22,000
Inspired by the masks of Kenyah and Kayan from his trip to Sarawak, the cultural motifs played a major part in Yusof Ghani’s Siri Topeng. The figure, seen as a formative generator and embodiment of movement is radically altered by Yusof Ghani. He dismantles and transforms them into planes of colour and curving lines. It merely is an expression of faces, combining oil on canvas in controlled structures, intensified by outlines, showing the artist’s effort in exploring new forms and visual approaches that are solid, structured and meaningful. Yusof Ghani was born in 1950 in Johor. He received a scholarship to study art at George Mason University, USA, where he studied Graphic Art and proceeded to pursue his Master’s in Fine Art at Catholic University, Washington. Upon returning to Malaysia, he began lecturing in Universiti MARA Institute of Technology. Most notably known for Abstract Expressionism, his other popular series are Tari, Wayang, Segerak and Biring.