LOT 22
NIZAR KAMAL ARIFFIN
B. Pahang, 1964
Mask Series, 2001
Signed “NIZAR 2001” on lower right
Acrylic on canvas
91 x 91 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD
RM 5,861.44
Nizar, born September 9, 1964, hails from Kuala Lipis, Pahang. He joined Senika, Pahang’s art society in 1984. He worked at the Ministry of Culture and Youth and was appointed resident artist at Taman Seni Budaya Pahang. In 1986, he studied Fine Arts and Graphics at University Sains Malaysia. After graduating, he continued to paint arduously, moving to Kuala Lumpur in 1993 to paint at Central Market and Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia House. In 1998, he became a full-time artist and eventually joined the Artists Colony at Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex.
Nizar believes that in the final analysis, everyone is the same. One may lead a privileged life, a life full of suffering or success, but as Nizar portrays, his subjects are just unidentifiable silhouettes. When one looks at the painting, one cannot differentiate the powerful from the subservient, the beautiful from the ugly, and the rich from the poor. Everyone is equal. Everything is open to each viewer’s own personal interpretation. Nizar’s relentless search for truth and the meaning of life, deep in his soul, is transformed into passionate energy, subsequently channeling said energy into his paintings. He produces vigorous works, sculpting the surfaces vigorously with his agile yet meticulous strokes.